Top Stars Films and Objectification of Female Leads

Is Objectification of Female Stars Necessary. Ever since the release of Ram Charan's Peddi , intense criticism has increased over the portrayal of Janhvi's role.

Many actors like Dimple Hayathi, Ashika Ranganath, Nitya Menon, Kangana Ranaut, Jaya Bachchan and others spoke against the objectification. In the midst of all this, director Teja said "This is a sad situation for many actresses in Tollywood since they are capable of delivering much more than merely looking glamorous or showcasing their dance skills."

He continued "With heroism-driven narratives, action sequences and elevation scenes taking up most of the screen time, heroines are often left with very little to do."

He pointed out "Several leading actresses, including Sreeleela (Skanda), Tamannaah (Bholaa Shankar), Shruti Haasan (Veera Simha Reddy), Ritu Varma (Mark Antony), and Anu Emmanuel (Ravanasura), have faced similar criticism for being confined to songs, comedy tracks, and supporting roles while the hero dominates the narrative."

Teja explained, "Even stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth have worked in films where female characters were given significant importance. In Robo, Aishwarya Rai had a pivotal role alongside Rajinikanth. Similarly, the success of Baahubali was driven not only by Prabhas but also by powerful performances from Anushka Shetty and Ramya Krishnan. Directors must strive for balance rather than favoring only the hero."

He added, "The industry is hero-driven, and directors naturally give more screen space to stars because they are the biggest crowd-pullers. There is significant investment riding on such films, and filmmakers must cater to fan expectations. At the same time, there have been many films where heroines played substantial roles. Therefore, it would be unfair to label the industry as male chauvinistic."