It’s common knowledge that most Indian cinema glorifies the pursuit of an initially non-consensual woman. Pretty much every Bollywood romance starts with a disgruntled heroine slowly falling for the persistent charms of the lead, no matter how creepy. Multifaceted actor Siddharth has a new, refreshing take on things however, as is clear by some of his Tweets.
Siddharth recently brought this very issue to light, in a move seldom witnessed by Indian actors.
When a woman stalks a man in our films she’s a vamp. When a man does it he is a hero. It’s a complicated discussion. But it needs to be had.
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) July 17, 2016
We’ve been selling a terrible dream in our films for long. That any man can get the woman he wants just by wanting her enough. Must change!
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) July 17, 2016
This guy doesn’t mince words. Straight up, he’s talking about being real, both on and off screen. That means accepting rejection, and the fact that things don’t always work out. He’s also talking about the inherent paradox in portraying stalkerish women as vamps, but stalker men as heroes to be emulated. It’s easy to see the glaring issue here, and we’re glad someone had the sense to point it out.
There’s even a page dedicated to changing the glorification of stalking in Tamil films, sign here!
