15 Clichés I Am Honestly Sick And Tired Of Seeing In Bollywood Films

Inserting a romantic interest for the lead, when that makes no difference to the plot, for example.

Haven’t there been times when you were watching a Bollywood movie and realised that you know exactly how it’s going to end? Some classic tropes have been overused SO much in Hindi films, that it’s time to call them out! I am doing so because these cliches act as crutches to pass off lazy writing and acting, making the audience the fool in the process.

1. Slow-mo entries for the hero.

@SalmanKhanFilms on GIPHY / Via giphy.com

Yes, we already know that he’s the hero. We saw the poster and trailer before starting the film. It makes no sense, especially when the lead actor is playing a regular guy and not a larger-than-life character à la Chulbul Pandey.

2. Actresses being used as good-looking props.

Reliance Entertainment

It’s about time Bollywood films stopped portraying women who are in constant need of rescuing, with little to no agency of their own, and as those who merely exist to dance with the hero in a peppy number. I know that we've come very far with films like Raazi and Thappad winning hearts everywhere, but movies such as Sooryavanshi, in which the actress merely has a flowerpot role, are still very much the norm.

3. (Mis)Representing modern Indian women.

Eros International

A modern Indian woman, in most Bollywood films, continues to be one who merely smokes and drinks, and is sometimes promiscuous. Do I need to explain how problematic this is?

4. EVERYONE knows how to dance and sing!

Junglee Pictures / Via media.giphy.com

I know that Bollywood songs are extremely fun and add life to all parties. But, when the lead actors break out into dance, how do random strangers in the background know the entire choreography?

5. No closure to the storylines of supporting casts.

Dharma Productions

The supporting cast often makes or breaks a film and has audiences actively engrossed in their stories. However, providing closure to only the main leads is total irreverence, sometimes. What happened to the best friend? I want to know!

6. Inserting a romantic interest for the lead when that makes no difference to the plot.

Reliance Entertainment

Why must they suddenly start singing and dancing in the middle of the plot build-up when the love interest has no actual role in the advancement of the aforesaid plot? Cough...Neeraj Pandey's films...cough!

7. Over-exposition through dialogues by the supporting cast.

Red Chillies Entertainment

This is a sign of lazy writing, because, why must dialogue, extolling all the virtues of the main lead, be continuously repeated instead of events being shown to the audience? It doesn’t help us connect with the character and is often jarring and unnecessary.

8. (Much) Older male actors romancing actresses half their age.

Yash Raj Films

No amount of photoshop can hide the wrinkles and age lines on the actors’ faces. Moreover, Bollywood has no dearth of younger actors or older actresses, who would be much better suited to those roles. Also, it’s gross!

(I sometimes wish Akshay Kumar was reading this).

9. Ridiculous action sequences.

Reliance Entertainment / Via media.giphy.com

Irrespective of how hard they’re hit, our heroes often have no reaction to the blood and pain that would otherwise debilitate anyone. This, in some ways, sells the idea that all men must be able to fight like this.

10. Stereotypical regional representations.

Red Chillies Entertainment / Via media.giphy.com

No, all Bengalis, Punjabis, Tamilians, and Maharashtrians don’t speak in the same manner and that is what makes India such a diverse cultural landscape. Stereotypical representations are downright offensive and make me wish that the writers and directors were more mindful of the content they're putting out. It's 2022 and we don't need more Meenakshi Sundareshwars.

11. Only hinting at psychological illnesses.

UTV Motion Pictures

Actually spelling out an accurate diagnosis and treatment of a mental illness, as in the real world, is a concept that we haven’t really touched upon in Bollywood, and even when we have, the depictions have been extremely problematic, with perhaps Dear Zindagi being an exception. This needs to change.

12. Transformation montages.

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Practically every movie that involves any sort of physical transformation showcases the entire thing in a song of about three minutes. No more prep is seemingly required — physically, emotionally, or mentally — for the huge tournaments the characters are going to participate in.

13. Female leads who look perfect AT ALL TIMES!

UTV Motion Pictures / Via media.giphy.com

Even when they’ve just woken up, or when they're playing school and college students, they have the time to dress up, and always make sure that their eyeliner is on fleek. #UnrealisticExpectations!

14. Unrealistically buff male bodies.

Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment / Via giphy.com

Almost every actor has a six-pack and is incredibly fit, perpetuating problematic and unrealistic standards that a majority of the population cannot make their reality. Body image issues, insecurity, and anxiety are just some of the damages that can be attributed, in part, to this.

15. And finally, the makeover!

Yash Raj Films / Via media.giphy.com

Just add a moustache, a bad wig, or a pair of glasses, and voila! — A whole new character is born and no one can possibly recognise them. Make it make sense!