The trend of cutting out disturbing teasers and toxic, vulgar cinematic language
Trailers and teasers are no longer just teasing in Indian cinema. From avant-garde to toxic to eighties, filmmakers are choosing stark, often disturbing imagery to announce the worlds their films inhabit.
Let’s start with something simple.
Have you noticed how trailers or teasers no longer tease? they tell. Loudly. Clearly. Sometimes uncomfortably.
Dhurandhar, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Assi, Toxic — These aren’t trailers or teasers that take you into their world. They don’t dim the lights and ask you to lean forward. They turn on the lights and show you everything. The blood, anger, humiliation, violence – emotional and physical – were laid out front, without waiting for the film to get there.
And before you think this is about extreme, stop for a second. This is not accidental. This is intentional.
Take stalwart. Both teasers are out What kind of world does the film capture – terrorism, underworld politics, criminal networks, revenge. No attempt has been made to soften the blow or make it palatable. The message is clear: this is not a cozy story, and it doesn’t want to be one.
Business expert Ramesh Bala believes this clarity comes from how viewing habits have changed. He says that since the pandemic, many of us – especially younger viewers – are watching international content regularly. Korean shows, American action films, zombie and slasher genres. Violence that once felt extreme now feels familiar.
“So today’s youth thinks it’s great to see violence on screen,” says Bala. And since that audience is now the primary target group, filmmakers are no longer holding back.
According to him, stalwart‘S The violence reflects the world it depicts. a movie set in basis of terrorism and organized crime Can’t afford to look mild. In that sense, cruelty means appearing honest. And yes, manufacturers believe that the more honest it looks, the more real – and marketable – it appears. Reducing it is not on their agenda. He believes that this decision has to be taken by the censor board.
But bear with me for a moment.
Because somewhere here honesty starts slipping into something else.
Realism or excitement?
let’s talk toxic.
If you saw the teaser and felt unsure about how you should react – that discomfort wasn’t accidental. Violence in the cemetery. Intimacy is placed right next to aggression. Images are designed not just to attract attention, but to provoke a reaction.
Bala agrees that this is where the line becomes blurred. toxic comes after KGF: Chapter 2A film that sets expectations at almost impossible levels. “So how do you meet that expectation?” He asks, “Show something different. Show something exciting.”
He says, “And it worked. The teaser got views. It got a response. There’s a conversation going on. In today’s ecosystem, that’s what has worked.”
Producer and business expert Girish Johar puts it simply: Criticism also helps. “At the end of the day, eyes meet,” he says. “Awareness is the first victory.”
But Jauhar also reminds us toxicIn , those controversial images were meant to define the character. Violence, intimacy, chaos – it was all used to establish who this man is and what kind of world he belongs to. Sometimes, especially with big movies, controversy is not a by-product. What they mean is that it is a tool.
Now stop here. Are you still with me? Because this is where it gets interesting.
Who is actually making this trailer?
It’s easy to say that these teasers are being created by marketing teams chasing virality rather than storytellers serving the film. But the reality is even messier.
Bala explains that storytellers and marketing teams usually work together. Multiple versions have been cut. have an argument. The presentation was distorted. The first cut almost never lasts. “Marketing teams stress about what will work best online, but the final teaser is usually a group call,” he explains.
Johar agrees. “And Asi A good example of that balance. Its trailer does not attract attention. The makers dubbed it the “Essential Watch” – a rare and deliberate move,” he stressed.
discomfort in Asi doesn’t look artificial Or created for discussion. This seems necessary. The violence isn’t meant to shock you; This is to tell you why this story matters. And that difference is important.
Have we…stopped reacting?
Let’s ask the uncomfortable questions: Have we become numb?
Bala believes that the Indian audience has become insensitive to a certain extent. Earlier the Censor Board used to act like a strong gatekeeper. ”Today, it’s much more liberal, especially in terms of violence,” he says. The ‘A’ certificate often gives filmmakers the freedom to show extreme brutality: beheadings, hangings, bloodshed – with little resistance.
And the audience is accepting it. like movies Marco, a malayalam movie, Despite this, buyers were found in different languages and regions their violent content. There has been no major pushback yet. Whatever happens, consumption is increasing.
However, Johar sees it differently. He argues that the appetite was always there among the Indian audience, now it has evolved. From Kabir Singh (2019) Animal (2023), emotional cruelty gave way to physical cruelty. “It kept growing,” he says, adding, “At the same time.” stalwart“It seems to be at its peak.”
But, and this matters, he draws a clear line. Violence alone does not work.
Indian audiences are still driven by emotions. Action requires an emotional basis. “Animal It wasn’t just cruel, it was rooted in father-son conflict. stalwartThere is also an emotional weight behind bloodshed,” he highlighted.
Without that, cruelty rings hollow. And you know it when you see it.
Is shock necessary now?
Here’s what both experts agree on: setbacks are not inevitable.
“A shock is not necessary in storytelling,” says Bala, adding, “Some filmmakers think it’s cool, or it’s their signature, but that’s not a rule.”
Johar supports this with examples from other genres – comedy, romance – that work entirely on writing, performances and emotions. It always depends on the story you’re telling. Shock has simply become a shortcut in a crowded content space. No rules. a tool.
And like all tools, it can create or damage.
So where does that leave us?
If you stopped by this far, thank you. Because this conversation is not about judging films or curbing creativity. it’s about paying attention a shift.
These trailers don’t ask whether the audience is ready or not. They are telling them what kind of world they are walking in. Loudly. Clearly. Sometimes brutally. As filmmakers are pushing boundaries, censor boards are forced to evolve. Johar believes that “creativity cannot be constantly curbed, but lines still matter.”
Cinema reflects society at a given moment. And right now, we live in a moment that is impatient, overstimulated, globally exposed and with little interest in suggestions.
Whether this makes cinema courageous or noisy will ultimately be answered by the films themselves, not their trailers. But if nothing else, these teasers have done one thing right: They’ve made us stop, look, and talk.
And if you’re still here, reading this, you’re already part of that conversation.