Alia Bhatt She is making waves at the 79th Cannes Film Festival not only for her fashion statements but also for her recent comments during her interactions at the festival.Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India, the actress reflected on the global success of female-led films and highlighted the contrast in India’s male-dominated industry. Addressing the recent global success of female-led films like ‘Barbie’, ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ and ‘Wuthering Heights’, Alia discussed the gender dynamics of the Indian box office and how filmmakers tend to target the 75% male audience termed as ‘mass audience’. He then raised questions about who would respond to female audiences if films were designed with only males in mind.He then clarified, “I’m not saying we alienate men, but why should we alienate anyone? Why should we accommodate a gender? Why can’t we make movies that are gender agnostic, where the story takes center stage? So whether it’s a man or a woman, that shouldn’t matter. Telling stories is what matters.”
Alia Bhatt came under fire for her ‘hypocritical’ comments
Her remarks not only went viral but also sparked backlash among netizens who accused the actress of being “hypocritical” by publicly supporting her husband. Ranbir Kapoor and his controversial 2023 blockbuster ‘Animal’, which faced criticism for its depiction of masculinity and violence against women. One viral post read, “Crazy how Alia Bhatt acted like the biggest entertainer in Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, while it was the worst misogynistic movie ever.”Others echoed similar sentiments, with one user commenting, “and where was that mindset when the husband made one of the most misogynistic movies directed at and directed at men?”“Well, she’s not entirely wrong, but I’m not sure her husband had the same thought when he made ANIMAL,” another post read.Several users specifically called out what they saw as selective criticism within the industry. “To say all this and then openly promote her husband’s Animal is the ultimate hypocrisy,” one commenter said.Another added, “nothing wrong but you can’t take a moral stand when your husband is doing a movie like Animal, start changing him from home girl.” Another said: “look inside your house, alia. Your husband himself is the biggest flag of misogynist propaganda in Bollywood.”Many social media users also applauded the actor for taking box office hits, but not to mention the huge box office success of the “Dhurandhar” franchise, which is said to have earned over 1.3 billion in 2025, while the 2026 sequel is approaching 1.8 billion worldwide. One access commented, “Alia Bhatt’s jealousy of not being a part of Dhurandhar is starting to show now,” one user wrote online. Another shared the clip and said, “Alia bhatt faked total admiration for Dhurandha.”Some even accused the actor of performative activism. “She makes a valid point, but unfortunately she’s also the loudest when it comes to protecting her husband’s work, who also caters to a toxic male audience with projects that normalize violence (especially towards women), so her words come off as really performative,” read another viral reaction.
Fans defend Alia Bhatt
However, the actor also found a lot of support online, with many defending his comments and arguing that the critics were overshadowing an important conversation about representation in Indian cinema. “However, it’s not wrong…most moviegoers are male and movies are mostly aimed at them,” one follower wrote. Another said, “If women in India had jobs and freedom like men and went to the movies like men, the entire film industry would have been very different.“.Another user argued that Bhatt was pushing for more balance in the storytelling. “A woman can’t talk about how male-centric Indian cinema is and women are underrepresented without men getting in trouble. All she said was that women deserve more stories too and you’re mad.” Another post defending the actress said: “Alia Bhatt points out that films often follow gender-specific narratives, with women-centric stories less so. He says that both male and female-centric films deserve an equal place.’Alia is in Cannes as the global face of an international beauty brand. He made his return to the festival on the opening day of the event on Tuesday.
