The term toxic masculinity has been around for a while now, but it has recently been making headlines. What had previously been confined to the classrooms of women’s studies, is now being discussed in open, among the young generations. Some men too have been helping other men to come out of the traditional set-up of masculinity, which is toxic to say the least.

But what does toxic masculinity actually mean? Well, there are many definitions and explanations for the concept, but a generalized one can be told as: “Conforming to the traditionally accepted notions of masculinity and not being open about its new definitions.” For example, teaching boys or men that they can not express their emotions openly, that they have to be ‘tough’ all the time, that anything other than this makes them ‘less of a man’.”

Toxic masculinity is considered dangerous and harmful to both men and women or rather any gender as it shapes sexist and patriarchal behaviors, including abusive and violent treatment of women (we are talking specifically about women in this write-up). This inevitably contributes to gender inequality. On the other hand, it is bad for men because it narrows down their point-of-view and forces them to conform to the physical and emotional expectations, that the society has from them.

Now, let us talk about the topic at hand: How toxic masculinity is portrayed or exhibited in Bollywood. Here, I am talking about the films and the male characters in them and not the personal lives of the actors. I have no intention of blaming the actors. The point of this discussion is to observe the trends and patterns in the landscape of toxic masculinity with respect to Hindi Cinema. Another thing to be noted here is that the examples of films included are the ones I have personally watched. Most recent examples are not considered as it’s been a while since I watched any Bollywood movie.

1960s – 1980s

Toxic masculinity in Bollywood can be traced as far back as to 1960s, when ‘The angry young man trope’ began to surface. Actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Rishi Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, etc. are a few examples who played such roles. Gone were the days where the male lovers would sing songs with their lady loves and play house-house.

The angry young man of the 1960s-1985s, was the spokesperson for the oppressed, revolter against injustice of any kind and basically, a tough dude who could fight many goons singlehandedly to protect his love interest or any other lady for that matter. You can observe this trend in hit movies like Mard, Sholay, Sharabi, Nasib, Kala Patthar, Trishul, Namak Halal, Lawaris, Des Pardes, etc.

It is to be noted here, that the lack of mention of films by other actors mentioned above, is simply due the fact that I am a fan of Amitabh Bachchan. Other actors too, have played such toxic characters.

Sanjay Dutt, another contemporary, played macho roles in his gangster flicks such as Khal Nayak, Vaastav and its sequel, Baaghi, Munnabhai MBBS and Mission Kashmir. The remake of the older movie Agnipath is another example.

Another noteworthy actor who depicted toxic masculinity through his films is Sunny Deol. Many of his successful films like Darr, Damini, Narsimha, Vishwatma, Angrakshak, Ajay, Ghatak, Gadar and its sequel, etc. portray male toxicity. Sunny Deol is best known for his action scenes and saving the damsels in distress.

1990s – 2005

After the ‘Angry young man’ era declined, the ‘Family-friendly’ movies with a comic touch, started to be released, which were majorly dominated by the K-clan, i.e. the Khans. Romantic movies starring these actors also began to be released during this period. Films like Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Sath Sath Hain, Hum Apke Hain Kaun, Kuch Kuch Hota Hain, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, No Entry, Biwi No.1 and so many others, have depicted different sets of toxic behaviors.

The male characters in these movies were sophisticated, fun loving and romantic. They did not lift hand-pumps all the time but exhibited subtle toxic behaviors which were covered due to their ‘love’ for the female leads. The male characters made sexist jokes and made the women characters confine themselves to the traditional gender roles.

Govinda and Salman Khan started the trend of comic roles who found it normal to cheat on their partners and then laugh about it, without receiving any concrete consequences for the actions.

A notable contemporary to these actors was Akshay Kumar who in his early movies played toxic characters. The Khiladi franchise is the prime example of this.

Also, Ajay Devgan to some extent, through his films like Diljale, Phool Aur Kaante, Ishq, Singham, etc. has contributed to new sets of toxicity.

The Caretaker Trope

Then, the ‘Caretaker trope’ has been significantly used in the films. Though not in a serialized form, it has appeared time and again in the Hindi Cinema for decades. The notions of toxic masculinity remained the same but each time the audience was presented with a new dimension of it.

Men still had to be the ones who saved the women in their lives. The movies still centered around the male characters and the females were given the supportive roles with little or no character development.

This ‘Caretaker trope’ can be also referred to as the ‘Savior Complex’, where the female characters are saved by the male characters and are accepted irrespective of the circumstances they are in. Take any Bollywood movie from the eras we have discussed so far as an example of this annoying trope. There are only a few rare films which have tried something other than the hero with a Saviour Complex.

Contemporary Scene

Now, in the last two decades, the emergence of male characters that are toxic but still somehow manage to endear themselves to the audience and make them empathize; has set the new records of toxic masculinity.

I think that the modern feature of individuality has crept in this too, as one can not observe any specific patterns when it comes to these newfound parameters of male toxicity. Thus, it is best understood through examples.

Ayan from Ae Dil Hain Mushkil played by Ranbir Kapoor, who despite being told for 3 hours straight, till the very end of the movie has problems with accepting the fact, that Alizeh just wants to be friends with him. Also, his recent film Animal takes the crown here for depicting toxic masculinity in so many forms that I do not even know how to categorize it.

Another infamous example, Kabir Singh played by Shahid Kapoor, is a frustrating man-child. He claims a girl without her consent and stays abusive throughout the relationship. Shahid Kapoor has another gem in his pocket, R…Rajkumar where he stalks a girl, shows voyeuristic tendencies and then in the end still ends up with her. The villain in the same movie, played by Sonu Sood is an apparent son of a gun, who thinks he has a right to rape any girl or woman he wants.

Then there is Kartik Aaryan, who through his characters shows how he is the victim in the story and how women are the ultimate gold diggers. Prime examples are Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Pyar Ka Punchnama series, and even Pati, Patni Aur Woh.

And… the gangster movies are in a different league altogether. There, women are highly objectified and are seen as sex toys while the men are considered as the epitomes of machismo and violence.

A Ray of Hope

But even after all these toxic characters, I will say that there is a little hope for Bollywood, albeit a teeny-tiny one. Actors like Ayushman Khurana, Vicky Kaushal, R. Madhavan, Irfan Khan, Imran Khan; through their films like Shubh Mangal Savdhan, Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan, Tanu Weds Manu series, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Jane Tu Ya Jane Na, Raazi, Hindi Medium, etc. have shown what it means to be masculine without the toxic part and how being around strong women does not make them any less of a man.

All in all, I would say that Bollywood needs to upgrade its game in terms of portrayals of masculinity and make a positive and welcoming impact on the society.

Which patterns did you resonate with the most? Can you add any other pattern with relevant examples? Do you have a counter-argument?