No Takers For Gore And Violence As Action Loses Appeal

With Toxic and The Paradise relying heavily on gore and extreme violence, their box-office performance has sparked a debate over whether audiences are beginning to reject excessive bloodshed on screen. While both films opened to strong initial interest, their collections reportedly slowed after the first few days.

In Toxic, Yash goes on a killing spree using guns, swords and other weapons, while The Paradise features Nani wielding blades and violently cutting down a thug. However, the graphic depiction of violence appears to have failed to sustain audience interest.

“Just violence for the sake of violence will not work, and Telugu audiences have thumbed it down,” says a producer. “In the name of heroism, some stars are indulging in extreme bloodshed, cuss words and sleaze, but it has gone awry.”

The trend is not restricted to recent releases. In Jailer, superstar Rajinikanth beheads a thug after he makes offensive remarks about his daughter-in-law. In Bhola Shankar, Chiranjeevi similarly kills a thug by severing his head during a deadly fight on a cruise ship. Dulquer Salmaan, meanwhile, plays an action-oriented character who drives a knife into a thug’s heart and quips that he is performing “cardiac surgery”.

Director Teja believes such depictions cross the line of acceptable screen violence. “These are truly inhuman acts, and we shouldn’t encourage extreme violence in movies,” he says. He also points out that Rajinikanth, despite being one of Indian cinema’s biggest action stars, traditionally avoided excessive gore.

“Rajinikanth has been an action star for four decades, but he largely avoided this kind of gore and violence. Hence, it was shocking to see him sever the head of a thug in Jailer. Heroic acts are becoming increasingly serious and unhealthy,” Teja adds.

According to Teja, Telugu cinema has witnessed even greater levels of violence in the past, particularly in films built around Rayalaseema faction conflicts. Movies such as Samarasimha Reddy, Narasimha Naidu, Yagnam and Indra featured extensive bloodshed and the use of weapons.

“Telugu films based on Rayalaseema factionism showcased more violence compared to many other films. A variety of weapons were used to chop off heads, arms and legs, which could send a wrong message because these stories were often presented as being rooted in real-life incidents,” he says.

At the same time, violence has long been an integral part of South Indian commercial cinema. Recent blockbusters such as Vikram, RRR, KGF: Chapter 2 and Veera Simha Reddy have all featured large-scale action and bloodshed.

The success of KGF: Chapter 2 and Yash’s iconic “Violence, violence” dialogue also raised questions about whether the film encouraged filmmakers to push action and gore further.

Producer Lagadapati Sridhar, however, feels it would be unfair to blame a single film. “I don’t think we should blame KGF alone for the growing violence in South Indian films. Hollywood films are also loaded with action sequences, but they are often well choreographed and stylishly captured, so they look convincing on screen. Our filmmakers sometimes lack that finesse,” he says.

He believes the increasing competition among filmmakers to present bigger and more spectacular hero moments has contributed to the trend.

“Directors need to think of new ways to showcase heroism rather than simply trying to outdo each other by adding more fighters, more bloodshed and unnecessary violence. There has to be a limit,” he adds.

Sridhar also points to the influence of video games, many of which feature highly stylised and graphic violence. “There are many violent video games that could influence filmmakers when they design slam-bang action sequences. Even violence in video games has been debated for its possible influence on aggressive behaviour among children and young people. Films, too, need to exercise some restraint,” he concludes.