13/05/2026
Alia Bhatt at Cannes 2026: Powerful stand or double standards? 🤔
At the Cannes Film Festival 2026, Alia Bhatt spoke about how many Indian films are still “male‑dominated” and made mainly for a male audience. She asked an important question:
“Why do we have to cater to one gender? Why can’t our movies be gender‑agnostic, where story comes first?”
On paper, this sounds like a strong, progressive stand. Indian cinema has a long history of focusing more on male heroes, male gaze and male‑centric stories, while women’s characters often get less depth and screen time. Many film critics and viewers agree that we do need more balanced, inclusive storytelling in mainstream Bollywood.
But after her Cannes comments went viral, social media quickly pointed out one big issue. The same Alia Bhatt had earlier praised Ranbir Kapoor’s film Animal, which was widely criticised for glorifying toxic masculinity and extreme violence. She was also mostly silent on other controversial, male‑centric films like Dhurandhar, which faced similar criticism.
Because of this, many people are now accusing her of “hypocrisy” and “selective feminism” – speaking about gender equality on the global stage, but not always applying the same standards when it comes to her own family, co‑stars or film choices.
👉 On one side, Alia has used a huge international platform like Cannes to highlight a real problem: Indian cinema still chases the “male audience” and often sidelines women’s stories.
👉 On the other side, the public is asking a fair question: If you want gender‑neutral, balanced films, shouldn’t your own praise, projects and partnerships also follow the same values?
This is why this topic is going viral:
It’s not just about one actress. It’s about how all of us – actors, directors, producers and even viewers – talk about feminism in interviews, but sometimes forget to follow it in real decisions.
What do you think?
Is Alia Bhatt being unfairly targeted because she spoke up at Cannes? Or is the audience right to question the gap between her words and her choices?
Tell me in the comments 👇
Do you still watch and support films that are clearly male‑dominated, or do you avoid them now?
