Stop Creating Stupid Violent Movies in Indian Cinema

Dear Indian filmmakers, from Bollywood or South Indian cinema, what the hack are you doing? If you see your recent films, what is the common theme among your films?

Violence. A lot of violence.

Whenever I see a new trailer of your forthcoming action movies, I cringe because those trailers are all about violence.

Such trailers are filled with an aggressive protagonist who is killing people violently. Machetes and knives are there. If these are not there, then guns and bullets are there.

Aggressiveness, violence, blood, and gore are the focus themes of your movies.

Minimal story. Only revenge. Revenge. Revenge.

Why the hack are you filmmakers making such violent movies?

Don’t you know that overuse of violence is just lazy storytelling? Don’t you know how your movies are impacting society negatively?

What You Are Getting Wrong

It seems many of you filmmakers believe that violence equals intensity. You feel that without violence, your movies cannot be that impactful.

I understand that action movies are widely accepted by the audience. They sell.

But does that justify making mindless violence the centerpiece of your film?

In the name of the storyline, you have a paper-thin plot. There is non-existent character development—just many violent scenes for glorification and sensationalization.

It seems like you think about violent scenes first and then create your weak stories around those scenes.

You deliberately sensationalize scenes. You deliberately insert extra violence and gore. You deliberately make your protagonist aggressive and violent.

Because you want to shock your movie’s viewers. The more shocks you give in a movie. The more viewers you get. Like one can see in the movies like Pushpa, KGF Chapter 1 & 2, or Animal.

What are the other factors for making such films?

Greed and satisfying your egos to attach yourselves to more successful movies.

You want to earn more money, as much money as you can. That’s why the box office numbers game starts upon the release of your films.

In the name of art, you are creating shitty movies in Indian cinema. The art of making films is losing its charm. Art has become a hardcore business.

You filmmakers are highly manipulated people who know how to market your movies. How to attract crowds.

The Impact on the Audience

Your shitty action movies that you call mass entertainers are not entertainers anymore.

They are affecting your viewers and society.

But it seems like nobody cares about how these movies affect people, especially children and teens. Violent movies are impacting them psychologically in the short term and long term.

Are you greedy filmmakers aware that watching violent movies, web series, or video clips increases aggressive behavior in children and adults both?

Children get affected by violence in movies more as they are learning things about life while growing up. Their minds are not mature enough to understand the context of violent scenes.

Young people are imitating your protagonists’ aggressive and violent behavior. Young people are committing crimes after inspiring by your violent movies.

Have you heard about the story of some Delhi teens who killed an innocent?

They saw the movie “Pushpa” and got inspired by the character of “Allu Arjun”. They found the character mesmerizing and cool. So they also felt like they could become gangsters as the movie glamourized them well. And, they killed that innocent person.

Further, children and teens are becoming desensitized to violence. The more violence they see, the less empathetic they become to others’ pain and suffering.

Your violent movies are numbing the audience. As you filmmakers show a lot of violence in your movies nowadays, it has started losing its shock value.

More violence means people stop caring about the number of killings you show. To shock them more, you bring more shocks, and they lose their value with time too.

What You Can Do Right About The Violent Movies

Cinema is a powerful medium, and people love watching it.

So as filmmakers, you have the responsibility and opportunity to tell great stories. Stories that inspire, challenge, and uplift society.

If you want to show violence, show it. But show it tastefully and with a purpose.

Here are a few ways you can turn things around:

1. Prioritize Story Over Sensation

Don’t underestimate your audiences.

They don’t always like violence and sensationalized stories. Give them a better story over a shitty story. They would prefer a better story.

Give them a compelling narrative, something they can connect with emotionally. Then see yourselves how audiences praise your work.

That’s what happened with well-made films like Piku and Article 15. Audiences and critics, both liked these movies.

2. Show Consequences

You show violence like it is quite easy and fun thing to do. The protagonists in your movies don’t squirm while beating or killing people.

It seems like the characters of your films don’t fear the police and laws.

If violence is really necessary to support the narrative of the story, show its repercussions too. What happens when someone commits violence or kills someone.

In many violent movies, your protagonist or characters walk away from fights without any injuries. You don’t show how fights impact a person.

In real life, violence has lasting physical, emotional, and psychological consequences.

Show that so the audience doesn’t take a fight easy. Be realistic. It makes your character more human and your story more relatable.

3. Highlight Non-Violent Solutions

You show your characters full of testosterone.

Can’t they resolve issues amicably? Do they lack intelligence?

Show in your movies that your characters are not “Chapris” or “Sadak-chaap”. Your heroes can resolve problems through intelligence and diplomacy.

Present your audience with refreshing and positive outlooks, which can inspire them.

What do movies like “Taare Zameen Par” and “3 Idiots” have in common? Both movies have conflicts. But they don’t use violence or guns to resolve them.

Yet, they are some of the most celebrated movies in Indian cinema.

4. Create Layered Characters

Don’t make your protagonists and antagonists shallow.

Give them depth.

Don’t show your protagonists as if they use muscle power only and don’t have any brain power.

Similarly don’t make your protagonists look evil for the sake of making them evil.

It is boring. Make them relatable.

Create layered characters. Show that they have empathy. Show that they have empathy and they cry too. Show that they have flaws and feel internal conflicts too.

5. Consider Social Responsibility

As filmmakers, you have the power to influence. You have the power to shape thoughts, ideas, and behaviors.

Why not use that influence to uplift society? Why not use that influence to eradicate evils from our society? Why not use that influence to address important issues like mental health, gender equality, or environmental sustainability?

Violence may offer short-term thrills, but meaningful content offers long-term impact.

Final Thoughts

There is no lack of talent in Indian cinema. Actors, directors, writers, and technicians. We have them all to tell incredible stories.

But as long as we keep focusing on mindless violence, we are wasting that potential.

So, focus on meaningful and realistic stories and stop creating stupid violent movies.

Inspire your audience and uplift them towards light, don’t push them towards darkness for personal benefits.

The future of Indian cinema—and its audience—deserves better.