Have you heard? Anurag Kashyap defends Yash`s Toxic amid backlash

Kashyap calls out cultural hypocrisy 

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has defended Yash’s upcoming film ‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups’ amid backlash over its teaser, calling the criticism a reflection of “cultural hypocrisy”. Speaking at the 17th Bengaluru International Film Festival, the director said, “When male actors appear shirtless or display machismo, no one questions it. But when a woman celebrates her sexuality, it becomes hard to accept.” Kashyap further described Geetu Mohandas’s directorial venture as “an extremely courageous attempt”. Unveiled on January 8, the teaser had drawn criticism for an intimate scene featuring a woman, with the Women’s Commission also expressing concerns.

Serving nostalgia 

Stills from ‘Devdas’, ‘Tere Naam’ and ‘Yuva’. Pics/Yogen Shah, Instagram, Youtube, Facebook

Three popular Hindi films — Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s Devdas (2002), Salman Khan’s Tere Naam (2003), and Kareena Kapoor Khan and Vivek Oberoi’s Yuva (2004) — are set to return to theatres with special re-releases. PVR INOX announced the development through an Instagram post, sharing the re-release dates along with the film titles. According to the announcement, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romantic drama will hit the big screen again on February 6, followed by Mani Ratnam’s movie on February 20, and Tere Naam on February 27. 

‘Undermining Kerala’s secular fabric’ 

A still from ‘The Kerala Story 2’ teaser; (right) Saji Cherian

Kerala Minister Saji Cherian criticised the teaser of The Kerala Story 2, alleging that it was aimed at “communal polarisation and undermining the state’s secular fabric.” In a Facebook post, Cherian said that from the first impression, the film appeared to be yet another product of “the Sangh Parivar’s factory that manufactures lies without any connection to facts.” He alleged that the makers were attempting to portray Kerala, a model of secularism, as a “breeding ground for religious extremism in order to humiliate the state before the world.” Produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film comes almost three years after the first instalment, which was criticised for its ‘love jihad’ story. Despite being panned by critics and certain sections of society, the 2023 movie became a sleeper hit.