Bangalore Days & Ustad Hotel director Anjali Menon on films 'celebrating' toxic masculinity: 'Actors should be mindful of what's being...'

Prominent Malayalam director Anjali Menon, who is known for making memorable films like Bangalore Days and Ustad Hotel, recently spoke about the films celebrating toxic masculinity and are doing well at the box office.

“I can react as an audience member to such films. I can choose to watch it or not. If you ask whether films have an impact on the audience, I'd say they do! I'd recently written a column where I spoke about the pull our matinee idols have. If they say something positive, it's going to have a great impact. I feel our actors, who have such pull, should also be mindful of what's being celebrated in the film. They should also have the freedom to do negative characters. For our benefit, if we are aware of it and use the medium accordingly - it is for the better. We have a wide range of audiences who celebrate different kinds of content,” said Anjali while talking to India Today.

“For all the gyan (advice) that goes around, we, as filmmakers, should be aware of the content we create. It's a democratic medium. The whole thing about freedom is that someone else's freedom begins where yours end,” she added.

Anjali Menon's last directorial titled Wonder Women, which released in 2022, featured Nadiya Moidu, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Nithya Menen, Amruta Subhash, Padmapriya Janakiraman, Sayanora Philip and Archana Padmini in prominent roles.

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The filmmaker is set to make her directorial debut in Tamil as she joined hands with KRG Studios.

Talking about the collaboration, the filmmaker told Variety, “I am looking forward to the collaboration with KRG Studios as we share the commitment to create engaging movies built from our cultures with world class production values.  Audiences are connecting beyond language boundaries to the diverse story landscapes of India, and we are keen to take them on cinematic journeys that are memorable, entertaining and thought provoking – all at the same time.”