Housefull 5 director breaks silence on Soundarya Sharma being reduced to ‘eye candy': ‘You've paid money to watch it…'

Pink Villa

2 days ago

Akshay Kumar 's comedy thriller Housefull 5 has been doing wonders at the box office. The film has earned positive reviews from fans and critics. However, the film was also criticized for 'objectifying' women. Actress Soundarya Sharma was mainly trolled for portraying a role that was all about 'skin show' and being just an 'eye candy' as per critics. Now, director Tarun Mansukhani has opened up about her bold role. He also shared that since audiences have paid money to watch the film, they can have an opinion about it.
In a recent interview with News18, the director of Housefull 5 opened up on the intense scrutiny his film received. He shared that such scrutiny usually surrounds successful films, while unsuccessful ones often pass without much reaction. According to him, when people are actively discussing or criticizing a film, it means engagement and that makes him feel happy.
Mansukhani also talked about the criticism, stating that those expressing dissent are intentionally focusing on the element of objectification. He said, "It means that they're watching it with a certain eye and sensibility. You can scrutinize it. That's fine. You've paid money to watch it and so, you get to have an opinion on my film."
The Housefull 5 director added that the film isn't a forgettable one that leaves no impact, if people are calling it out, it shows they're engaged. He concluded by saying that choosing to focus on that aspect of the film is entirely up to the viewer.
Tarun also discussed the portrayal of women in the comedy thriller and shared that the storyline is actively driven by them. He added that the plot revolves around their actions, especially their pursuit of money, and also called Soundarya Sharma a key player, involved in suspicious financial transfers to an offshore account.
Meanwhile, Housefull 5 features an ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Riteish Deshmukh, Sonam Bajwa, Abhishek Bachchan, Nargis Fakhri, Nana Patekar, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Shreyas Talpade, Jackie Shroff, Dino Morea, Chitrangada Singh, Soundarya Sharma, Chunky Pandey, and Johnny Lever.