Bollywood actor Avinash Tiwary has called out the industry’s obsession with box-office numbers and six-pack abs. Calling out the disconnect between talent and audience support, the actor pointed out how performers like Manoj Bajpayee, Vikrant Massey, and Pratik Gandhi are often labelled “underrated”, yet fail to draw crowds to theatres. He also contrasted this with the way South cinema and Hollywood celebrate craft.
Avinash Tiwary slams Bollywood’s obsession with six-pack abs
In a chat with Siddharth Kanan, Avinash pointed out that actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Vikrant Massey, and Pratik Gandhi, among others, are often called underrated, yet not many watch their films in theatres. He compared how South celebrates their actors and their films, and Hollywood celebrates the talent and craft, unlike in Bollywood, “Aapko kahin pe bhi, kisi industry mein… I know I might get flak for this, par kahin pe bhi 60 saal ke log 6-pack, 8-pack bana ke ghoom rahe hain? (Anywhere, in any industry… I know I might get flak for this, but where else do you see 60-year-olds walking around with six-pack or eight-pack abs?) Even in Hollywood, Arnold Schwarzenegger is not doing that, Sylvester Stallone… there is no need to. There is no vanity or desirability that needs to be sold off. Not even in the South, why is it only in the Hindi film industry? That is a question we all need to answer,” Avinash said.
The actor added, “There’s no value for the skill, craft. Audience baithke box office numbers dekh rahi hai. Kahan hota hai yeh sab? Main 20 saal se acting kar raha hoon (Audience is looking at box office numbers. Where else does this happen? I have been acting for 20 years), and there are various projects that I have done, and we can always debate what is good and bad. I’m talking about others who are universally accepted. If we are not putting value here, then what are we putting value on? Someone just takes their shirt off, one photo is clicked, and there is so much buzz. If it’s only about looks, films should just have models. We are selling obsession.”
The internet reacts
While Avinash did not name any particular actor in his statement, fans of stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Akshay Kumar felt this was a jibe at the superstars. While Salman and Akshay have been known for their fitness and physique, Shah Rukh also entered the action film genre with Pathaan and Jawan at the age of 58. On Reddit, where the video clip of Avinash’s interview was shared, fans criticised him, calling the jibe unnecessary.
Avinash Tiwary’s recent and upcoming work
Avinash’s romantic comedy, Ginny Wedss Sunny 2 released in theatres on April 24. Directed by Prasshant Jha, the film also featured Medha Shankr, along with Lilette Dubey, Sudhir Pandey, Govind Namdev, Gopi Bhalla, and Rohit Chaudhary, among others, in key roles. A spiritual sequel to Ginny Wedss Sunny, the film opened to a dismal start at the box office, collecting only ₹30 lakhs on day one.
He will next be seen in Imtiaz Ali’s Netflix series, O Saathi Re. The series is directed by Arif Ali and created by Imtiaz. It also stars Aditi Rao Hydari and Arjun Rampal in key roles. The release date has not yet been announced.
