The trend of Bollywood actresses criticising Telugu films and filmmakers after working in the industry is becoming a topic of discussion on social media. Taapsee Pannu, Radhika Apte and Janhvi Kapoor have made comments about their experiences in South Indian cinema, particularly Telugu films. While actors have every right to speak about their experiences and raise concerns, the timing and manner of these statements have also raised questions.
Taapsee Pannu recently spoke about her initial days in the South film industry and revealed that some filmmakers had asked her to wear padded bras during shoots. She also spoke about the lack of women technicians on certain sets. Taapsee made these comments while promoting her Hindi film Assi. Her comments triggered criticism, following which she apologised to the director in 2017.
Radhika Apte’s recent comments have also drawn criticism. During a conversation with fans, she recalled working in a Telugu film in which she had to romance a much older actor and marry her maternal uncle. She said she hated everything about the experience and described the situation as patriarchal.
Radhika’s comments have triggered a strong reaction because she worked with Balakrishna again in Lion in 2015, a year after Legend. Netizens are questioning why she accepted another film with the same actor if she was so uncomfortable with the earlier experience. Some are also asking whether she was unaware of the character, storyline and the age difference before signing the film. Radhika had earlier criticised the Telugu film industry for being male-dominated and alleged that women were not treated well on sets.
Janhvi Kapoor is the latest actress to face criticism over her remarks. Speaking on Koffee with Karan, she discussed the controversy surrounding her portrayal in Ram Charan’s Peddi. She admitted that the film had problematic scenes and that her character was excessively objectified. She also said that she should have been more vigilant and used her position to raise concerns during the shoot. Netizens questioned how she could make such a broad observation based on her limited experience in Telugu cinema.
The audience are now questioning why these concerns were not raised more strongly when they were signing the films or during the shooting process. Telugu cinema has provided opportunities to several actresses from Bollywood, offering them roles, recognition and remuneration. Actors accept these films after considering the opportunities available to them. If they find something wrong with the script, characterisation or working conditions, they should have the freedom to question it. But making broad comments about an entire industry years later, without distinguishing individual filmmakers and projects from the industry’s overall working culture, is not a healthy approach.
The pattern looks like, actresses start their careers in the South, find fame and opportunities, move to Bollywood chasing bigger stardom and, when the spotlight begins to fade, return to criticise the same Telugu industry that gave them recognition. Is this just another way to get back into the headlines?