3 min readMumbaiJun 27, 2026 02:51 PM IST In an era increasingly defined by hypermasculinity and heightened testosterone-driven narratives, cinema continues to lean heavily on excessive and often graphic portrayals of violence. These depictions, whether in large-scale action spectacles or so-called light-hearted romantic dramas, can be deeply disturbing and triggering for sections of the audience. Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan recently reflected on this trend, calling out what he sees as an often lazy approach to portraying violence on screen. In a conversation with the YouTube channel Yuvaa, he pointed to the film Tere Ishk Mein, directed by Aanand L Rai and starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon. ‘It’s just plain ugly’ “People say, ‘Unless you show violence, how will you talk about violence?’ Yeah, that is true. But there are ways to show and make you feel the violence. An example would be a woman who is slapped continuously for some time. If I show this person getting beaten constantly, you’re going to trigger so many women who’ve gone through that. Not just women, people who’ve gone …