Neeraj Ghaywan has delivered one of the sharpest critiques yet of the way violence is being staged in mainstream Hindi cinema, and Tere Ishk Mein has landed at the center of that debate. Speaking about the growing trend of hypermasculine storytelling and graphic imagery, the filmmaker said such scenes are not just excessive, they can be deeply triggering for viewers who have lived through similar trauma.
In a recent conversation with YouTube channel Yuvaa, Ghaywan spoke at length about the responsibility filmmakers carry when depicting abuse and brutality on screen. “People say, ‘Unless you show violence, how will you talk about violence?’ Yeah, that is true. But there are ways to show and make you feel the violence. An example would be a woman who is slapped continuously for some time. If I show this person getting beaten constantly, you’re going to trigger so many women who’ve gone through that. Not just women, people who’ve gone through that.”
He continued, “It is going to be very triggering. Of course, there will be other people who’ll say, ‘such a tragic thing happened’ Of course, that’s fine. But you are inadvertently also triggering so many people through that depiction. And that takes a long time to heal from.”
Neeraj Ghaywan Calls Out Tere Ishk Mein Trailer
Expanding on that argument, Ghaywan specifically pointed to the trailer of Tere Ishk Mein, directed by Aanand L Rai and starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon. “You know, recently there was a film, Tere Ishk Mein, and I saw the trailer of it. There is a scene where he’s (Dhanush) carrying that bottle to a wedding, and he’s almost about to throw it like acid on the girl (Kriti). It must be so triggering for so many people. I got triggered myself watching it. It is not even smart, I’m sorry. It’s just plain ugly to put that in, just because toxicity is ‘cool’ these days. I feel the portrayal of violence is about who you are triggering, what you’re trying to say, and there are smarter ways to do these things.”
His remarks sharpen the conversation around how filmmakers frame obsession, rage and romance, especially at a time when increasingly extreme imagery is often packaged as emotional intensity. In that context, Tere Ishk Mein now finds itself in a wider cultural conversation about whether provocation on screen is being mistaken for depth.
Why This Trailer Moment Has Become The Talking Point
Directed by Aanand L Rai, Tere Ishk Mein stars Dhanush and Kriti Sanon in the lead and was an intense romantic drama. The film is now being discussed not only for its emotional pitch but also for the discomfort it has generated among viewers and filmmakers who are wary of how violent gestures are aestheticised on screen. Film was produced by Bhushan Kumar and Aanand L Rai and was directed by Aanand L Rai. It went on to become a commercial hit with business in excess of 150 crore worldwide gross.
Ghaywan’s criticism lands with added weight because it is tied to a larger creative question rather than a passing reaction. His argument is that depicting violence does not automatically make storytelling more honest or more powerful, and that intent alone cannot erase the effect such imagery may have on audiences. That framing has given Tere Ishk Mein a more complicated place in the current conversation around mainstream Hindi cinema.
Ghaywan’s latest directorial work is Homebound, which marks his most recent outing behind the camera.
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