Puneet Issar calls Ranbir's Animal ‘amazing', defends violent, alpha-male films: ‘Kya lesbian, gay par hi films banaye?'
Recently, Indian cinema has seen a surge in action films such as Pathaan, Animal, Marco, and others. However, these films have also received criticism for their violence and misogynistic tone. In an interview with Digital Commentary, Puneet Issar defended alpha-male films and discussed how South Indian films have been performing well, as they are not dominated by corporate interests in the way Bollywood is. (Also Read: Puneet Issar: All the actors from Mahabharat are stuck in their image from 30 years ago, but I kept breaking my image)
Veteran actor Puneet Issar expressed his concerns about the current state of the Hindi film industry, stating that Bollywood has drifted away from reality and now primarily caters to niche urban audiences, particularly those in South Mumbai. He criticised the industry for producing overly sentimental films that fail to resonate with the wider Indian population, noting that many of these films struggle to perform beyond areas like Borivali and are then touted as successes based on overseas performance. Issar pointed out that true mass entertainers such as Baahubali, RRR, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Gadar, and Chhava are made for the Indian audience and reflect their tastes.
He went on to say that although parallel cinema is good, it does not have the same reach as commercial cinema. 'People like Allu Arjun… Pushpa was such a big hit because it connected with the masses. Why was RRR a hit? Because the South doesn't have corporates. They make male-dominated films. This doesn't mean they are male chauvinists. No. The South makes proper alpha-male films—this is the reality, and people want to watch it. That is why Salman and Shah Rukh are such big superstars. When Ranbir Kapoor does an Animal, it becomes a superhit. It was an amazing film,' he added.
He also responded to a section of society criticising the violence and alpha-male themes in films, saying, 'What difference does it make what they say? Should we really be watching the kind of films they make? There was an Ayushmann Khurrana film, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, which released at 12 and was pulled out by 12:30. Is that the kind of film we should be making? No, we shouldn't. Even in Satyam Shivam Sundaram, there was a certain dignity maintained. Aap sirf lesbianism par film banana chahte hain? Yaa gays pe film banana chahte hain? (Do you only want to make films about lesbianism? Or about gay people?) Fine, that is one section of society—I do not deny their existence. I respect everyone."
He added that every kind of film should be made in the industry and further stated that films connecting with emotions and values are the ones that become true blockbusters.
Puneet began his acting career as a villain in Manmohan Desai's 1983 film Coolie, but gained recognition through his portrayal of Duryodhana in B. R. Chopra's television series Mahabharat. Over the years, the actor has appeared in several notable films, including Chandra Mukhi, Prem Shakti, Ram Jaane, Border, Refugee, Krrish, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Ready, Son of Sardaar, and The Kashmir Files, among others. He was last seen in the television show Vanshaj, which also featured Mahir Pandhi and Anjali Tatrari in lead roles.
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