“Where do you draw the line? Nobody knows”: Paresh Pahuja on violent storytelling | Exclusive

As cinema across the world grows darker, grittier and increasingly spectacle-driven, the debate around violence on screen continues becoming more complicated. For Paresh Pahuja, however, the answer isn’t entirely black and white. Speaking to Pune Times during his visit to the city, the actor admitted that even he struggles to define exactly where the line between storytelling and glorification truly exists. “Honestly, I don’t know where that line is,” he says. “If audiences are consuming certain kinds of films, filmmakers will naturally make more of them.” At the same time, Pahuja believes his own creative instincts are guided by something emotionally simpler — hope. “I personally connect with stories that are about hope and possibility,” he explains. “Even if it’s a massive action film, the messaging matters.” For the actor, entertainment alone cannot be the sole purpose of storytelling. Emotional meaning still matters deeply to him, even inside commercial spaces. “That part is important for me,” he says. “But art is subjective. Some people will connect with what I’m saying and some won’t.” As mainstream cinema continues balancing audience demand with moral conversations around violence, Pahuja’s perspective reflects the uncertainty many actors themselves seem to carry while navigating those choices.