Tears, Not Just Punches: Emotional Heroes Are Winning Hearts

The image of the invincible hero is gradually evolving in Telugu cinema, with leading stars such as Jr NTR, Allu Arjun, Ram Charan and Naga Chaitanya embracing emotionally vulnerable characters and expressing their feelings openly on screen.

“Crying is also an emotion, and today's stars are displaying their feelings without any hesitation. It is a welcome change,” says noted writer Kona Venkat. According to him, such candid emotional moments help heroes connect more deeply with audiences.

“The audience feels that the hero is just like them, and that relatability is paying rich dividends,” he explains. He notes that while earlier generations of heroes often avoided crying scenes in front of the camera, younger stars are willing to break conventional boundaries.

“Once the audience connects with a character's emotions, their involvement in the story increases significantly. Nowadays, viewers often browse their phones during routine action sequences, but they become fully engaged when a hero behaves like a common man, experiences vulnerabilities and struggles, and then overcomes them. Gen Z audiences, in particular, are more emotional and accepting of heroes who are realistic and fragile,” he points out.

Recent Telugu films provide several examples of this shift. Jr NTR showcased intense emotions in Devara, while Allu Arjun portrayed the pain of growing up without a father figure in Pushpa. Ram Charan's role as a rural sportsman in Peddi has also struck an emotional chord with viewers. Similarly, Naga Chaitanya earned appreciation for his tragic and emotionally layered performance in Thandel.

“If heroism is about beating up 100 people, then making 100 audience members empathize with the hero is also a form of heroism,” says Kona Venkat. “That doesn't mean every film should include crying scenes. The emotion must emerge organically from the story. Content-driven films are giving Telugu heroes the opportunity to balance mass appeal with performance-oriented roles and connect with audiences across the world.”

He points out that legendary actors N.T. Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageswara Rao frequently delivered powerful emotional scenes, often with tears in their eyes. However, many heroes in later decades avoided such portrayals due to the belief that men crying on screen diminished their heroic image.

“With audiences becoming more mature and stars increasingly portraying relatable, boy-next-door characters, Telugu cinema is exploring realistic themes rather than relying solely on larger-than-life action,” he says.

Dismissing the popular notion that "big boys don't cry," Kona Venkat argues that emotions transcend gender. “I don't agree with that saying at all. Emotions are not gender-specific. A boy and a girl will react similarly to the loss of a parent or a loved one. The idea that men should not cry is simply a myth,” he concludes.