Rashmika Mandanna defends toxic masculinity in Pushpa 2, Animal: It’s human nature
Actress Rashmika Mandanna addressed the criticism of toxic masculinity in Pushpa 2 and Animal, pointing out that such traits exist in real life and cinema takes creative liberties to entertain the audience.
Actress Rashmika Mandanna’s portrayal as the love interest of two male characters—Ranvijay (Pashu, played by Ranbir Kapoor) and Pushpa Raj (Pushpa 2, played by Allu Arjun) has sparked discussions about accepting the toxic masculinity portrayed by these roles. Has given birth. In Animal, her character Geethanjali, and in Pushpa 2, her character Srivalli are shown to be in love with alpha males who epitomize dominant masculinity.
In an exclusive conversation with India Today Digital, Rashmika shared her views on the criticism of the way these male characters are displayed.
“When a story is written, it can be written from a man’s point of view or from a woman’s point of view. So, when you write a film from a man’s perspective, it becomes a male-dominated film. If you write a film from a woman’s perspective, it becomes a woman-oriented film. That’s the only difference. We all humans have a good side and a bad side. Like, it’s just being human,” Rashmika explained.
She also shared her mother’s advice, saying, “My mother used to say that the only thing that differentiates you and me is our ego. Good ego or bad ego. We all breathe the same air, eat the same food, drink the same water. What is so different between you and me? Your physical appearance? Of course, nature is like that. But that’s our ego, isn’t it?”
Elaborating on the portrayal of toxic masculinity in films, he said, “So, even when you create characters, you are talking about this character. What is his personality, what is his character—it is up to him. What is the personality of Pushpa Raj’s character—it is the same. It’s like, when you talk about toxicity and masculinity and all that, those are their own individual traits. Such people also exist.”
Addressing the cinematic liberties taken in both the films, Rashmika said, “Of course, you can’t murder 200 people—you’ll be in jail. But that’s the cinema part of it. You come to the cinema to watch movies. You come to the cinema to be entertained. “That’s why we have the numbers we have today.”
Both Pushpa 2 and Animal are blockbusters at the box office. While Animal has earned Rs 915 crore worldwide, Pushpa 2 continues its strong performance and has earned Rs 1,100 crore globally.
