‘Ginny Wedss Sunny 2’ actor Avinash Tiwary has sparked a fresh debate about Bollywood’s priorities, questioning why senior Hindi film stars continue to flaunt six-pack abs on screen while no other major film industry demands the same and whether this comes at the cost of real craft and storytelling.
Avinash Tiwary takes a dig at old Bollywood actors flaunting abs
Appearing on Siddharth Kannan’s podcast, Avinash Tiwary didn’t hold back. Pointing out that this body-obsession is unique to Hindi cinema, Tiwary said, “Aapko kahin pe bhi, kisi industry mein… I know I might get flagged for this, par kahin pe bhi 60 saal ke log 6-pack, 8-pack bana ke ghoom rahe hain? Even in Hollywood, Arnold Schwarzenegger is not doing that; Sylvester Stallone… there is no need to (Anywhere you go, in any industry… I know I might get flagged for saying this, but do you really see 60-year-olds walking around with six-pack or eight-pack abs? Even in Hollywood, Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t doing that; Sylvester Stallone… there’s simply no need to).”He added, “There is no vanity or desirability that needs to be sold off. Not even in the South. Why is it only in the Hindi film industry? That is a question we all need to answer.”In the same conversation, Avinash Tiwary went further, pointing out that Hindi film audiences have become unusually focused on box office number, a habit that doesn’t exist in other film cultures. He also asked what that says about the value placed on storytelling and skill.
He mocked the promotional culture built around actor physiques, saying, “That someone takes a shirt off and a girl holds his hand… ek tasveer khinch jaati hai ki ‘Coming Soon…’ and you feel like, ‘arey, yeh film aa rahi hai’ (That someone takes off his shirt and a girl holds his hand… a picture gets taken that says ‘Coming Soon…’ and you start feeling like, ‘Oh, this film is actually releasing’).”If the goal is only visual appeal, he argued, filmmakers could simply cast models, and he questioned what story, if any, was actually being told.
Avinash Tiwary questions the role of an artist
The actor also turned the lens on himself and fellow artists, questioning the deeper purpose of filmmaking. “What we are selling is this obsession ki, ‘Subah 4 baje tu ticket leke meri film dekhne aaya.’ That is what I am selling to you. And truly, if I am an artist, it is worth asking the question: is that what you want to sell?”The ‘Laila Majnu’ actor added that if cinema is meant to be art and a voice for the voiceless, that vision is sadly missing from Hindi films today, and that audiences may not be demanding better, either.
More about ‘Ginny Wedss Sunny 2’
Avinash Tiwary’s new release, ‘Ginny Wedss Sunny 2’, co-starring Medha Shankr, has hit theaters on April 24, 2025. The film also stars Lillete Dubey, Sudhir Pandey, Govind Namdev, Gopi Bhalla, and Rohit Chaudhary. The film is a spiritual sequel to Yami Gautam and Vikrant Massey’s ‘Ginny Weds Sunny’, which was released in the year 2020.
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