‘60-year-olds with six-pack abs’: Avinash Tiwary slams Bollywood’s fixation with looks over craft

Comparing Bollywood with other industries, he added, “Look at the South film industry or Hollywood—they celebrate talent, skill and craft. Here, that culture seems missing.”

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On Bollywood’s fixation with image over skill

Avinash didn’t hold back while addressing what he sees as Bollywood’s overemphasis on physical image. “In no other industry do you see 60-year-olds walking around with six-pack abs just to sell desirability, not even in Hollywood. Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone don’t need to do that. Even in the South, it’s not about flaunting six-packs all the time. So why is it only in the Hindi film industry? Why is there no value for skill and craft?” Of late, actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan have been spoken about their chiselled body as they do more action films.

He also pointed to the growing obsession with box office numbers. “The audience sits and tracks box office figures—where else does this happen? I am not talking about myself, but about actors who are universally acknowledged as brilliant. If we don’t value them, then what are we valuing?”

Avinash added, “Someone takes off their shirt, holds a girl’s hand, a picture is released with ‘coming soon’—and suddenly there’s hype around a film. What is happening? If it’s only about looks, then you can just hire models.”

Cinema and ‘selling obsession’

Avinash also echoed a thought shared by Fahadh Faasil in an earlier interview. “He said, ‘I have made a two-hour film. Watch it, discuss it with your friends, and move on.’ I genuinely relate to that,” Avinash said.

He added, “If cinema is about giving you two hours of escapism from your life, that’s fine, enjoy it. But what we are selling today is obsession, that you should wake up at 4 am to buy tickets and watch a film.”

He concluded, “If I am truly an artist, it is worth asking—what am I trying to sell? Unfortunately, having that kind of self-awareness often makes you seem problematic, as it does in my case.”

On Ginny Weds Sunny 2

In an interview with SCREEN, Avinash shared whether in today’s landscape there’s room for films like Ginny Weds Sunny 2. “When Ginny Weds Sunny 2 was happening, the thought wasn’t about trends, but about why we wanted to make this film. We made it so that the entire family can come together, watch it, and have a great time for two and a half hours. Now, tell me, does that kind of space exist in cinemas anymore?”

The romantic comedy, directed by Prashant Jha and produced by Vinod Bachchan, is slated to hit theatres on April 24, 2026. It serves as a spiritual sequel to the 2020 film Ginny Weds Sunny, which starred Vikrant Massey and Yami Gautam.