How far should films go in depicting violence? Experts weigh in on its impact on kids
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
“There are a few emotions that are very easy to provoke the audience with. Violence is one of them, and sex is another.”
Adding to this, Recent cases of children and young adults involved in violent incidents reignited debate over violence in films. This observation by Aamir Khan in an old interview resurfaced on social media when Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal was rolled out in 2023. Among the many aspects of the movie that sparked debate, its graphic violence became a major talking point online. However, Animal was far from the only movie to face criticism over its portrayal of violence. Over the past five years, several blockbusters across movie industries have been called out on social media for not just depicting extreme violence but also seemingly glorifying it on the big screen. The Dhurandhar duology, which emerged as the highest-grossing Indian films of 2025 and 2026, is among the latest and biggest examples.
Meanwhile, Violence in cinema has always been a subject of debate, but the two recent troubling real-life instances have once again brought the conversation into focus.
Notably, In Haryana's Panchkula, an eight-year-old boy allegedly assaulted a six-year-old girl inside a school classroom, repeatedly hitting her with an object that appeared to be a brick. In another disturbing incident in Andhra Pradesh, a 21-year-old allegedly entered a Class 10 classroom carrying a chainsaw and attacked a girl student, leaving two injured.
As per the latest buzz, While there is no direct link between these incidents and what we see in films, the graphic nature of these cases has once again raised questions about how far filmmakers should go when depicting violence on screen. For instance, in Dhurandhar, Akshaye Khanna's character, Rehman Dakait, is seen smashing a man's face. In Animal, Ranbir Kapoor's character enters a college classroom carrying a rifle to intimidate students.
In further updates, The debate is not limited to Hindi cinema. When Rajinikanth's Jailer was rolled out in 2023, its graphic sequences, including scenes involving torture and acid, drew criticism from some viewers. Similarly, Allu Arjun's smash hit Pushpa 2: The Rule, the highest-grossing Indian movie of 2024, drew criticism for its graphic climax sequences, with some viewers finding the brutality on screen hard to digest.
On top of that, With screens becoming an increasingly unavoidable part of children's lives, monitoring the content they consume has become important. Experts point out that younger children may not always have the ability to distinguish between fiction and reality and, hence, they can’t fully understand the consequences of imitating what they see on screen.
Dr Subhrajit Parida, consultant, paediatrics and neonatology, Manipal Hospital, Bhubaneswar, explains that children can imitate the behaviour of characters they admire, particularly heroes who are often rewarded for their violent actions.
Source: Hindustan Times