As conversations around representation and storytelling grow ahead of International Women's Day tomorrow, actors
Kareena Kapoor Khan,
Kalyani Priyadarshan and
Ananya Panday recently shared their thoughts on toxic masculinity and rising violence in films.
During a discussion with The Hollywood Reporter, the three actors were asked about the growing popularity of hypermasculine cinema and also about the increasing use of violence in mainstream storytelling.
Kareena Kapoor Khan on audience-driven trends
Kareena Kapoor Khan believes that the shift toward intense and violent storytelling cannot be attributed to masculinity alone. According to the actor, audience preferences play a major role in shaping the direction of cinema.
Sharing her thoughts, she said, “I don’t know if it’s the masculinity aspect. I believe the audience directs where cinema is going, not producers sitting behind a desk.”
Kareena also noted that the box-office performance of such films often encourages filmmakers to repeat similar formulas.
"Right now, this trend, and I call this a trend because I don’t think it is going to last," she emphasises, "It is what’s [considered] practical, and every scene has to be sensational or shocking. You can show spectacle with violence, and people think that’s what’s selling cinema. It still scares me a little, but I believe it’s a trend.”
Ananya Panday on repetition in film industry
Ananya Panday echoed similar concerns about the growing repetition in mainstream cinema. According to her, success often leads to imitation within the industry. She explained that once a particular film formula works at the box office, several projects tend to follow the same pattern, “It feels repetitive in that sense, everyone wants to make what’s working.”
Ananya Panday added that creativity sometimes takes a backseat when the industry rushes to replicate commercially successful ideas.
Lack of variety in commercial films
Kareena Kapoor Khan also pointed out that mainstream cinema appears to be dominated by a limited range of genres at this moment and the actor noted that the industry currently focuses heavily on thrillers and crime dramas, often leaving little room for lighter storytelling.
“Now I think it’s all thriller, crime, gore, blood. No fun, energy, colour, love, romance," she shared.
Despite these concerns, both Kareena and Ananya agreed that meaningful change cannot come from a single group within the industry.
Kalyani Priyadarshan calls for more women writers
Kalyani Priyadarshan believes that one important step toward the major change lies in increasing female representation behind the camera.
Speaking about her film Lokah, she shared how having a woman writer helped bring a different perspective to the story. “I think what worked for Lokah is that we had an amazing woman writer on the team," she shares. "I wish more movies would have women writers, because I feel a different perspective comes that way. Men write what they know; you can’t blame them. If they try to write for a woman, it will go off, in my opinion.”
In an earlier conversation with Hindustan Times, Kalyani Priyadarshan also spoke about her female superhero role in the film.
“Our heroes have always been superheroes in many ways. They defy gravity and do things that ordinary humans think aren’t possible. We just haven’t labelled them as superhero films—we’ve always called them hero films,” she said.
She added, “Our main fear was that, being a female superhero film, there is nothing comparable here. Our culture loves comparisons, and we knew we’d be measured against international films with 20–30 times our budget. I was very cautious in my early interviews, emphasising that this is not Avengers and my character is not like Wonder Woman. It’s heartening to see that comparisons were made in a positive way.”
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