There has been strong backlash on social media against filmmakers like Sandeep Reddy Vanga after films such as Kabir Singh and Animal. The outrage has mainly focused on toxic masculinity, excessive sexuality, problematic heroes and the way women are portrayed.
But Toxic has now arrived, and the film is packed with cuss words, abusive language, sexual innuendo and several sexually charged scenes. The film also features a large female cast presented through a highly sexualized world.
This raises an uncomfortable question: Why is the outrage not as loud this time? Is it simply because Toxic is directed by Geetu Mohandas, a female director? If objectification of women is the actual problem, then the filmmaker’s gender should not decide whether it is acceptable or not.
Cinema can show sexuality. Cinema can have problematic characters. Cinema can have abusive language. There is nothing automatically wrong with any of these elements. The real issue should be how they are used and whether they serve the story.
But if the same elements are condemned in one film and ignored in another simply because the director is a woman, then the backlash becomes difficult to take seriously.
For years, discussions around the “male gaze” have focused on filmmakers presenting women primarily as sexual objects. That anger is valid when the portrayal is exploitative or unnecessary. But the same standard should apply regardless of who is behind the camera.
A female filmmaker should have the same creative freedom as a male filmmaker. But she should also face the same backlash when her work contains the very elements that are slammed in films made by men.
That is where the current discussion around Toxic becomes interesting. Is the problem really the content, or the problem is who made the film?
Selective outrage does not help the conversation around feminism, representation or cinema. If a certain portrayal is problematic, it should be called out consistently. If it is acceptable as part of storytelling, then filmmakers should be given the same freedom regardless of gender.
