Heeramandi actor Jason Shah slams growing violence in films like Dhurandhar and Toxic, flags religion and politics’ influence on cinema

Jason Shah, who was recently seen as Officer Cartwright in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi, has expressed strong disapproval of the growing violence in mainstream cinema, citing films like Yash’s Toxic and Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar. The actor also questioned the audience’s sensibilities and their willingness to consume increasingly violent content.In an interview with Screen, Jason spoke about how religion and politics now heavily influence filmmaking, both in India and globally.Sharing his thoughts, Jason said, “Religion and politics have had a heavy play on movies, not just in India, but also around the world. You see all subliminal messages that are being put into movies. It's because times have changed, cinema has been an art form that speaks to people, it connects to them, so if films don’t evolve, people may lose interest.”However, he also felt that something essential has been lost along the way. “I feel the innocence of movies is lost. Would everyone go to watch Partner today? I don’t think so. People want to see so much violence,” he added.Referring specifically to upcoming films, Jason said, “I was seeing the teaser of Toxic, which shows people where our minds have evolved to as producers.”The actor further shared his surprise at the audience response to Dhurandhar, especially given its intense themes. “I was shocked to see people enjoy the violence in Dhurandhar. Parents took their young children to watch the film,” he said.He added that the film’s political context also played a role in its reception. “But again, Dhurandhar was related to politics; it was a story about something that happened in India, a very serious subject, and people like to see other people’s opinions on what they have created on this subject,” Jason explained. Jason Shah is best known for his role as Officer Cartwright in Heeramandi, which featured an ensemble cast including Manisha Koirala, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal Mehta, Farida Jalal, Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman, and Adhyayan Suman. The actor will next be seen in Vijay’s political thriller Jana Nayagan. The film also stars Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol and Mamitha Baiju in pivotal roles.