Tarun Mansukhani Defends ‘Housefull 5’ Against Objectification Claims: “My Three Lead Boys Are Showing Their Butts”

Tarun Mansukhani Defends ‘Housefull 5’ Against Objectification Claims: The freshly crowned commercial hit Housefull 5 has not only experienced box office triumph, but has also received considerable backlash for its representation, or lackthereof, of women. Individuals and critics referred to the movie as demeaning to female characters through blatant sexual innuendos and revealing outfits. However Tarun Mansukhani has defended the movie in a recent interview.

In an exchange with Just Too Filmy, Tarun explained that characters can be sexist and misgynist, and the characters views are not represented of Tarun's own beliefs.

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"Every film, every frame of the character, is not the reflection of the director's life. The character is flawed, sure, but why can't he be flawed? Why can't he be misogynistic or sexist? That is who he is. A lot of people have told me a lot of things about girls being objectified. Dino Morea is shirtless all the time. Nobody says anything. My three lead boys are showing their butt. Cheeky, isn't it? But nobody says anything. It is as you wish to see it, and it is fine. As long as you feel about it, sure."

On the topic of women's criticisms of the movie, the director claimed it would have been better if they had critiqued his method or his style of the way he tells a story.

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"I wish they would criticise technique, my storytelling. I wish they criticised other departments they are meant to criticise. Right now, it seems more critical opinions come on a personal basis. I have a problem with people who turn around and say, 'Oh, don't watch this film'. Our industry is already going through turbulent times, don't find ways to make it worse," Tarun added.

Housefull 5, who stars Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, and Abhishek Bachchan, is a comedic whodunit about a murder on a cruise. It has grossed significantly above ₹200 crores globally. Other cast members includes Fardeen Khan, Nana Patekar, Jackie Shroff, Ranjeet, Johny Lever, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Chunky Panday, Dino Morea, Sonam Bajwa, and Soundarya Sharma.

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