Cinema has the power to influence people: Saiyami Kher
Saiyami Kher said that she was ‘disturbed’ after watching filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Animal’. The action-drama, headlined by Ranbir Kapoor, has divided the audience and Saiyami said in an interview that she belongs to the section which didn’t quite warm up to the film.
‘Animal’ has emerged as one of the biggest hits of the Hindi film industry this year, trailing only Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Jawan’ and ‘Pathaan’. The film created history as well as a social media uproar, where a section called it out for being toxic and misogynistic.
During an interview with ‘Bollywood Hungama’, Saiyami was asked about her opinion of the film. The actor said if she has to watch a Ranbir Kapoor film, she will prefer to watch ‘Rockstar’ and ‘Barfi’ as he is ‘the best the country has’ but won’t revisit Animal.
“Personally, for me, I have been told very strongly not to tell your opinions, because nobody wants to hear that. But I was very triggered and very disturbed. Every director has the right to make everything that he wants, but somewhere, you have a responsibility towards people. Cinema has the power to influence people and I truly believe that, in the good and in the bad way.”
Saiyami said she is aware cinema will have ‘dark and bad characters’ but draws the line when it comes to putting them on a pedestal. “I personally don’t agree with the phenomenon of glorifying somebody who is a dark and bad character. With great power comes great responsibility, so I would consider that when working.”
Saiyami said the monstrous response to ‘Animal’ and its historic box office collections left her puzzled, as it felt detached from the kind of films she enjoys and what people are lapping up. “I was a little confused because if this is what the country is watching, then where do I stand in this? It is not just men. It is women who are loving the film as well. He is a very talented filmmaker because he has held your attention. But I was not a big fan of the way a lot of things were shown. I am not the biggest fan of that kind of cinema,” she added.
