If box office success is any yardstick, mainstream Hindi cinema continues to be overtly macho with four of 2019's five top grossers dealing with themes of hyper masculinity leaving women as mere props or maybe a side note at best.
While War, Kabir Singh, Uri: The Surgical Strike and Bharat demonstrated the skewed gender dynamic in Bollywood, the fifth in the list of the year's biggest hits is Mission Mangal, which relegated women to the background even while celebrating their achievements.
The film is about the women scientists that led India's mission to Mars but much of the attention is on the solo male star, Bollywood biggie Akshay Kumar.
"Bollywood is a male dominated industry and it has always been one, barring very few cases where films led by Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi being considered almost as big as male stars. They could pull crowds. But generally speaking, the A-listers have always been men," noted film critic Saibal Chatterjee said.
"Not just in big potboilers, smaller films are also dominated by men. Unfortunately, in some cases, even content doesn't seem to matter. You just need to have a right male star who can bring in the people to theatres for the first two-three weeks," he added.
War, which topped the charts with collections of over Rs 500 crore at the box office, centres around the mentor-protege bromance of Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff, both RAW agents playing a globe-trotting game of spies.The film has two prominent women characters—Vaani Kapoor and Anupriya Goenka—but both just forward the hero agenda of the film and get barely any screen time.
For many, the success of War was a relief as it dislodged Shahid Kapoor starrer Kabir Singh, a remake of Telugu hit Arjun Reddy, from the top spot.
Though praised for Shahid's performance, the movie polarised viewers with its glorification of toxic romance.
Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga landed in controversy when he said it was okay to express love by slapping each other. The audiences, it seemed, agreed. The film earned Rs 379 crore at the box office.
Defending the film, Shahid said it is hypocritical to criticise the movie when critics praise similar content from the west for being honest and politically incorrect.
Director Anurag Kashyap said it is futile to criticise the movie as urban Indian society is full of men who think like the lead character.
“Kabir Singh does represent more than 75-80 per cent of urban India. Why not put it out? If I disagree with it, I won't see it. But sometimes it's necessary to see ourselves," the director said.
Uri, one of the early hits of the year, is about India's 2016 surgical strike on terror camps across the Line of Control. Its carefully crafted story coupled with the war cry "How's the Josh?" enabled it to tap into nationalistic sentiments at the box office.The film made Rs 342 crore since its release in January and its catchphrase became a popular slogan for the ruling party.
Though debutant Aditya Dhar treated women characters—played by Yami Gautam and Kirti Kulhari—rather well, they were not the ones leading the movie.
With Bharat, which earned Rs 325.58 crore, Salman Khan again managed to sway audiences despite lukewarm reviews from critics.
Bharat, a high octane post Partition father-son drama, also featured Katrina Kaif and Disha Patani. They were given opportunities to shine but it was inevitably a "Salman Khan film".The fifth highest grosser was Mission Mangal, which made Rs 290 crore. The makers tried to promote it by boasting about the cast ratio—five women versus one Akshay Kumar.
However, many who watched the film said Akshay had a bigger and more central part in the film than Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen, Kirti Kulhari and Sonakshi Sinha even though the movie was about the women scientists who led the mission to Mars at Indian Space Research Organisation.
The film's poster showed Akshay getting bigger play than his women colleagues.
Taapsee said "star value" is a brutal truth in the industry and one must come to terms with it.
"The star value is such... That's a brutal truth that we need to accept and then think that there is no point questioning it. Be the reason to change this truth," the actor said.
She pointed out that the film would have performed better because of Akshay's star power even if the five female leads had not been there.
"There's already a big superstar in the film. We five being a part of it just makes it go higher. But the box office wouldn't have dropped even if we were not in the film. Pick up any of our films, the five ladies, add them together and compare the collection of the opening day of all those films with an Akshay Kumar movie," she said.
The problem, as actor Katrina Kaif recently highlighted at an event, lies in the faith of the producers and viewers.
She believes that a project with female leads, a great story and an able director, if given the same budget and scale "has the potential to do those numbers".
"We just need to see that confidence come from the producers to take that risk and put that investment into the film. If we mount a film, it could be a different film, a comedy, a fun summer blockbuster, if we give that film the same mounting, the audience will feel that this is an event film.
"If most of our female protagonists' films are small ideas and small in content and smaller in nature, how can the opening be compared to the Dhoom 3s of the world?"
A scene from The Thursday Murder Club, where four retirees turn amateur detectives in a quiet British village shaken by a real murderInstagram/NetflixUK
Stills from Andaz Apna Apna
Stills from Andaz Apna Apna
Vinay Kumar Sinha
Rahul’s casual dismissal of that controversy has added fuel to the fire
Rahul Bhatt sparks controversy over 'insensitive' remarks about sisters Alia and Pooja Bhatt
Rahul Bhatt, fitness trainer and son of veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, has found himself at the centre of a social media storm following controversial remarks about his half-sister, Alia Bhatt. In a recent interview, Rahul drew comparisons between Alia and their older sister Pooja Bhatt, calling the latter more talented, attractive, and principled.
The comments, which many have labelled inappropriate and insensitive, have sparked widespread criticism online. During the interview, Rahul stated, “In my opinion, she (Alia) is not even half of what my real sister Pooja is. Not in talent, not in looks, not in terms of being sexy. In front of my sister, she is ‘paani kam chai’ (watery tea). Amongst the siblings, the most talented and the most moralistic is Pooja.”
Social media users reacted strongly, questioning why Rahul would compare his sisters in such personal terms. Several users were particularly disturbed by his reference to their appearance and sex appeal, pointing out that such comparisons within a family cross boundaries of propriety. One comment read, “This is disturbing. Why talk about your sisters like that? It’s not just weird, it’s wrong.” Another post said, “There’s nothing respectful about comparing your siblings’ attractiveness in public.”
The backlash also reignited conversation around a decades-old controversy involving Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt. Rahul was asked about the infamous 1990s magazine cover where the father-daughter duo shared a kiss, which had stirred public outrage at the time. Dismissing the criticism, Rahul said, “It doesn’t make any difference. It’s like water off a duck’s back. We know the truth, and we’ve seen everything since childhood.”
Rahul’s casual dismissal of that controversy has added fuel to the fire, with critics saying it reflects a broader issue of the Bhatt family being insensitive to public perception and boundaries. Many users questioned the need for bringing up old incidents in a bid to defend new and equally questionable statements.
As of now, neither Alia Bhatt nor Pooja Bhatt has issued any public response to Rahul’s remarks. Both actors, known for their significant contributions to Indian cinema, have typically kept family matters private despite living in the public eye.
This episode has also sparked debate over the role of public figures in maintaining respect when discussing family matters in the media. Observers say such comments, especially when involving women’s appearance and personal qualities, reinforce problematic attitudes and fuel unnecessary controversies.
While Rahul Bhatt is not as prominent in the entertainment industry as his father or sisters, his comments have made headlines and placed the Bhatt family in the spotlight for reasons beyond their creative work. For many, this serves as a reminder that public platforms come with responsibility, and that family ties should not be trivialised or dissected for attention or comparison.
The backlash is unlikely to subside soon, especially as fans and followers of Alia and Pooja continue to express disappointment over the way the situation has unfolded. Whether or not Rahul chooses to clarify or apologise remains to be seen.