By Seekriti Saha
The movie Tere Ishq Mein is another classic example of Bollywood’s glorification of toxic masculinity which is embedded at its very core which was released in the theatres on 28th November 2025.
The movie is directed by Aanand L. Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma and Neeraj Yadav.
It is a prequel to the movie, Raanjhana in which the male lead, Kundan stalks his love interest Zoya constantly.
The dejected lover, Kunadan, slashes his wrists and breaks Zoya’s wedding.
Her fiance is then beaten to death and Kundan eventually dies while saying,
“So jaane me hi bhalayi hai, Paruthenge kisi din ussi Ganga kinare, Damru bajane ko,UnhiBanaras ki Galiyon mein Daud jaane ko, Kisi Zoya Ki Ishq meinphir se padh jaane ko!”
(It is better to go, some day we will return to the same banks of Ganga, to play the drum, to run in the streets of Anhibanaras, to fall in love with some Zoya again!”)
In Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s movie Animal, the protagonist is celebrated for his aggressiveness and hyper violence.
The outburst of Rannvijay is celebrated and normalised as a proof of love and loyalty.
Similarly, the Salman Khan starred, 2003 film Tere Naam massed cult status majorly among the young audience when it got released in theatres.
The movie normalizes the obsessiveness of a one-sided lover who is unable to accept the rejection. Self-harm and brutality are framed sympathetically in the film.
In Dabang, Chulbul Pandey, the male protagonist is seen to beglorified for his use of violence freely, dominating the place wherever enters and mocks the people of authority. These are present with heroic intimidation and charm.
Instead of showing a healthy one-sided love which involves the act of letting go and moving on, Bollywood seems to cash on the themes of constant pursuit, relentless stalking and toxic alpha behavior of the male leads.