‘Aggression in one-sided love is not to be celebrated,’ says Zeeshan Ayyub as Tere Ishk Mein grows at the box office

In the meantime, actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub recently admitted that Raanjhanaa, in which he played a key role, was indeed a problematic movie. “I did not defend it (the film) then, nor will I do it now. I saw a lot of people coming up with arguments to defend what’s portrayed in it. But I won’t. It (what was portrayed in Raanjhanaa) was problematic, and the film promoted it. The addition of aggression in one-sided love is not to be celebrated. It’s wrong, and anyone who defends it is also wrong,” he said during a conversation with The Sheroes TV. Zeeshan has a cameo in Tere Ishk Mein.

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Acknowledging that it’s essential to have dialogues on such matters, he observed, “Many people say that it’s just a piece of art and ask us to move on. But that’s not right. If something problematic is depicted in a film, it’s important to have discussions about it and criticise it. It’s essential to have a critical approach to everything. Even if someone is making something right, we should still look at it critically. Only then will our society move forward.”

Stating that movies have a significant impact on society, he noted that storytelling is deeply ingrained in India’s cultural traditions. “When we go for a movie, we are not just watching it; we are paying more attention to the story. Hence, we get inspired by films a lot. Every person has an evil side within them that they keep locked away from society. Films give us validation. We refrain from committing wrongdoings because society and our instincts have taught us so. But when my hero (in movies) does this, I get validation. I start believing that this (whatever they did) isn’t wrong, in contrast to my own beliefs,” he pointed out.

Dismissing claims by some industry insiders that films don’t influence people, Zeeshan maintained that they are aware of the actual impact. “But no one wants to give away power. That’s why the moment someone raises questions about filmmaking or cinema, they get scared and come together immediately. They keep fighting with each other until then, but as soon as someone raises such vital questions, they will unite, asking, ‘How can you say such things about our film fraternity?’ No one is saying that. But if you are making a movie that sends out the wrong message and if it influences a naive teenager, you, too, are responsible for that,” he added.