The North vs South debate in Indian cinema refuses to die down. Every few months, a new controversy erupts, and both sides accuse each other of double standards.
This time, the discussion revolves around Peddi and Cocktail 2.
Many Telugu cinema fans are questioning why Bollywood media and social media went into overdrive over Janhvi Kapoor’s portrayal in Peddi but have largely remained silent about Kriti Sanon in Cocktail 2.
On the surface, the argument sounds reasonable.
After all, Cocktail 2 features several glamorous bikini sequences involving Kriti Sanon. Some viewers have pointed to camera angles that zoom in on Kriti’s buttocks and are asking why the same people who created massive outrage around Peddi are not reacting now.
But there is one major problem with this comparison.
The backlash against Peddi was never only about Janhvi Kapoor’s waist, navel, or sexual presentation. The real outrage around Peddi was because a large section of viewers felt uncomfortable because the film repeatedly showed Ram Charan’s character leching over, stalking, and obsessing over Janhvi Kapoor’s character. The biggest flashpoint was the controversial scene where he kisses her without consent, and the film later presents it as a romantic moment rather than a serious violation.
That is what triggered the trolling, outrage, and social media backlash.
The issue with Peddi was not just about the sexual objectification of Janhvi. It was also that she was in the film with absolutely no purpose except being a sexual object for the hero. Then sexual abuse was portrayed as playful romance, which took the backlash to the next level.
In Cocktail 2, whatever one may think about the level of skin show or the camera angles, Kriti Sanon’s character is portrayed as knowingly being flirtatious and suggestive to grab Shahid Kapoor’s attention. She is making those choices herself within the narrative.
Whether audiences like that presentation or not is a separate debate. But it is not the same as a hero forcing intimacy on a heroine and the film expecting audiences to celebrate it.
Also, Kriti is not there just for eye candy. She is the character who drives the plot.
