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Recently Dhanush and Kriti Sanon starrer in theaters ‘In your love’ (Tere Ishk Mein) has been released. The film has crossed the Rs 100 crore mark. While the film was successful in showing a love story, somehow this film also tried its best to give some viewers the same taste as in ‘Arjun Reddy’, ‘Kabir Singh’ and ‘Animal’, which has become a common thing in today’s films. In such a situation, it seemed that Anand L. Rai’s film ‘Tere Ishq Mein’ is trying to do something different. Instead of showing the hero as toxic, his weakness was shown, his anger coupled with the childhood trauma of seeing his mother burnt and the pain of not having money for treatment. It seemed that perhaps the film wanted to say that such anger is wrong and it can be corrected. But as the film progressed, all the good beginning went to waste. The purpose of writing this article inspired by the review of Indian Express is that it has now become a common thing to consider ‘toxic lead character’ as a real hero?

Hero’s name is Shankar (bow). He is seen beating someone badly in college only on the election day. Heroine Mukti (Kriti Sanon) is doing her PhD and believes that anger can be completely eradicated. She makes Shankar her ‘experiment’ case. Now this is where all the problems start. Mukti wants to show herself to be very intelligent, but she is doing something else. She slaps Shankar in front of everyone. When the police is arresting him and taking him away, Shankar says with a scary laugh, ‘Mine is for daily use, but a beautiful girl does not get slapped every day.’ And the policeman also laughs! Then Shankar holds her hand and says, ‘Don’t kill me again’ and Mukti… smiles! That is, the film is saying that even fighting and misbehavior should be considered as flirtation.

Childish behavior of PhD girl

Then Mukti involves Shankar in her research. Shankar clearly says, ‘I will fall in love with you.’ In response to Mukti she says, ‘You do it considering it to be love, I will do it considering it to be work.’ It is difficult to believe that a girl with a PhD can say such childish things. Then the ‘I will fix it’ drama starts. Mukti just keeps recording Shankar’s feelings without any proper therapy and takes him in front of two professors and says look, the anger has gone away and then Shankar runs in and starts beating two people at the bus stand. Thesis failed but not ready to accept salvation.

Is this psychology?

The scene that comes after that makes one really angry. Mukti says to the bus driver-conductor, ‘Slap him for my experiment.’ Shankar says, ‘No slap, I want something in return’ and Mukti takes her to the hotel. That is, if a woman puts her own honor at stake in the name of research, is this psychology? The film gets worse as Shankar lies and pretends that he has recovered, only to save the thesis of liberation. Mukti also accepts that their relationship is becoming toxic, yet Mukti does not leave her. At last Shankar’s father dies, Shankar curses Mukti and disappears.

ok acting bullshit story

Mukti breaks her marriage, starts drinking, and marries the same boy she had left earlier because Papa said so and due to fear of Shankar’s curse! Ultimately Shankar becomes an Air Force pilot and dies in the war. From such films it is understood that this is the ‘animal’ era. Instead of dismantling toxic masculinity, the film worships it. An educated girl with a PhD was shown as completely stupid and weak. All his intelligence was limited to just one dialogue. Everyone’s acting is good, Dhanush, Kriti Sanon and especially Prakash Raj won hearts. But the story is so rubbish that even good acting seems useless. Initially it was thought that perhaps this film would break the trend like ‘Animal’. But alas, it went further on the same toxic path.

Alcohol, sex, everything unbridled… Kabir Singh

But before ‘Animal’ how can we forget ‘Kabir Singh’. There is a film which from beginning to end worships an angry, alcoholic, violent and selfish man and romanticises him by giving him the tag of ‘mad in love’. This film is not only dangerous, but also further strengthens the toxic thinking already present in the society. The character of the hero is completely toxic. Kabir Singh (Shahid Kapoor) is a medical student who on seeing a college junior girl (Preeti) shouts – She is mine! Forcefully follows her, threatens her, kisses her. If he gets angry, he beats anyone (slaps a junior, punches a friend, even shows a gun to the hostel boys). Drugs, alcohol, sex, everything unbridled. The film justifies all this in the name of ‘intense love’. There is no voice of woman, no consent. The character of Preeti (Kiara Advani) is completely empty. She neither says ‘yes’ nor ‘no’, she just remains silent out of fear. Although Kabir Singh is a remake of the South hit movie ‘Arjun Reddy’. Kabir Singh is not a love story. This is the story of the victory of a mentally ill, controlling and violent man who was glorified in the name of ‘love’.

‘Animal’ worships alpha male

At the same time, ‘Animal’ is also the film which strips toxic masculinity naked and kneels before it. While watching ‘Animal’, for three hours you will feel that you are watching a crime-drama or a revenge film, but in reality you are watching a toxic father-son relationship and even more toxic worship of masculinity. The character played by Ranbir Kapoor is the most dangerous example of the last ten years that Bollywood can still present the ‘Alpha Male’ like a God. If we understand the meaning of ‘Alpha Male’ in simple language, it is a person who is full of confidence, dominant and who keeps every situation under his control. Ranveer Singh aka Ranbir Kapoor loves his father (Anil Kapoor) very much. Papa doesn’t love her that much. When angry, Ranveer picks up a machine gun, kills the entire family, and still longs to hear a ‘Good job, son’ from his father. Even in love, he does the same, takes force, beats up, and all this is called ‘intense love’.