How Bollywood Glorifies Stalking Through The Movies

As common as it is to find stalkers on Indian streets, one can't deny a lot of them are often inspired by the films we watch and the plots that drive Indian cinema. A roadside stalker is glorified in the name of aashiqui or love and possessiveness is celebrated.

For years, Bollywood has created sympathy for such characters (stalkers). Think of Darr, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Badrinath ki Dulhaniya, Kabir Singh, Raanjhanaa and many more.

How Bollywood Glorifies Stalking

Roadside majnus think it is okay for them to continuously stare at a girl while she is passing through the lane, or follow her wherever she goes or cross her singing a cheap Hindi song. Instead of discouraging such behaviour through the characters of the protagonist in the movie, Bollywood takes pride in portraying them. 

Recent Examples Of Bollywood Movies Glorifying Stalking

Blockbuster movies like Raanjhanaa or Kabir Singh are just a start to the plethora of examples in Bollywood. The school-going girl (played by Sonam Kapoor) is stalked by a boy (Dhanush) in the town of Banaras and later on, after being neglected by the girl, he goes on to cut the veins of his hand by the blade.

“Keh do tumhe pyaar hai, warna abhi kalai kaat denge." 

In theatres and on the streets, people whistled to this scene as if it was an 'achievement' on the part of the guy and doing this to a woman was 'perfectly normal.' 

Kabir Singh was another film where hero in the titular role was seen stalking his love interest initially in the college. He went on to disrupt her class routines without any objection from the girl, or ">stalk her in the hostel (which is supposed to be a safe place for students?).

The film romanticised a violent lover, glorified a doctor who broke the medical code of ethics, and normalised physical abuse on the women. Moreover, the statement of the film's director Sandeep Reddy Vanga cemented any doubts about the intent behind the film. He insisted women must be in the control of the men they date. "If you can't slap, if you can't touch your woman wherever you want, I don't see emotion" on being asked about the problems in movie promotes gender violence. 

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Showing Stalking As It Is

If we set aside the recent examples, there have been movies from the past as well, like in the film Anjaam or Darr which glorified stalking. Back in the day they were released, neither society nor women raised a stink and questioned the intent of the film.

Stalking is always shown heroically in the movie.

Not In The Name Of Society!

Under the disguise of a positive topic like women's hygiene in the movie Toilet starring Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar, stalking was shown with ease. The hero in the movie was shown filming the woman over the phone without consent, and ultimately the woman was shown falling in love with the same person.

At the end of the day, film industry will continue to claim that they are in the 'business of entertainment' and it's not their job to look at changing society. But as audiences we must take the lead in calling out such content and failing these movies at the box office.