Actress Mrunal Thakur is once again facing backlash on social media after the promotions of her upcoming Hindi film Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai started, which also stars Varun Dhawan and Pooja Hegde.
In the film, she is playing an over the top glamorous, commercial role where she is being sexualized to titillate the audience. Especially from a section of Telugu audiences, there is a huge backlash.
During the promotions of Dacoit, Mrunal clearly said that she is being very selective in Telugu and is not choosing films just for money or big banners. She mentioned that after roles like Seetha Maha Lakshmi in Sita Ramam and Yashna in Hi Nanna, she has set a certain standard for herself and wants to live up to it.
Now, people are questioning that statement. They feel that if she is talking about strong roles and meaningful cinema, then the same standard should be followed in Bollywood as well. Her new Hindi film Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai looks like a typical commercial film, and it does not match the image she spoke about.
Many people are also supporting her and saying that an actor should not be limited to one type of role. They argue that working in different industries means different kinds of films, and it is normal to balance performance based roles with commercial ones.
In Telugu, she built a strong image with emotional and graceful roles, which earned her a lot of respect. Some filmmakers even compared her to legendary actresses like Savitri and Soundarya because of her acting style. But in Bollywood, she has been more open to bold and glamorous roles, including projects like Lust Stories 2, which shocked many viewers.
The main question people are asking is simple. Are these “high standards” only for Telugu films, or is she just choosing roles based on what works best in each industry?
In simple terms, doing glamorous roles is not wrong. But when an actor speaks about maintaining certain benchmarks, people expect consistency. That is where the confusion and backlash are coming from.
Whether this works in the long run or creates more questions will depend on her future choices. She recently impressed with her performance in Dacoit, though the film itself was full of flaws.
