A viral clip has revived the veteran actor’s critique of hyper-masculine Indian cinema. Box office figures from 2024 to mid-2026 show alpha heroes still dominate, though softer films have also found audiences
Three years ago, actor Naseeruddin Shah said something in an interview that has now found a fresh lease of life on social media. Talking about the state of Hindi and Indian cinema, the veteran actor argued that men were growing more insecure, and that this insecurity was being papered over with hyper-masculine heroes on screen. “Men’s insecurity is increasing,” he said, adding, “That’s why hyper-masculinity is being emphasised even more.”
He wasn’t gentle about naming names either. Shah admitted he simply could not sit through RRR or Pushpa, films that had, by then, become cultural events rather than mere releases. “I tried to watch RRR, but I couldn’t. I tried to watch Pushpa, but I couldn’t,” he said, adding that beyond the sheer thrill of watching such spectacles, he couldn’t understand what audiences were getting out of them.
2024: The year of the alpha hero
The numbers from 2024 read almost like a rebuttal to anyone hoping for a change in taste. Pushpa 2: The Rule, the very franchise Shah singled out, went on to become the highest-grossing Indian film of the year, pulling in Rs 1,742.10 crore worldwide.
Close behind was Kalki 2898 AD, which earned Rs 1,042.25 crore. Stree 2 followed with Rs 857.15 crore. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 rounded off the year’s big four with Rs 400.25 crore.
2025: The strongmen keep winning, but so does a love story
If 2024 belonged to Pushpa, 2025 belonged to Dhurandhar. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the spy-action thriller earned over Rs 1,300 crore worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Indian film of the year.
Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: Chapter 1 came second, crossing Rs 850 crore. Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava followed in third place with over Rs 800 crore.
And yet, tucked into that same list is Saiyaara, a romance that earned Rs 570.33 crore worldwide without a single sword fight or muscle-flexing hero to its name. It is precisely the kind of “sensitive” cinema Shah said would eventually find its place.
2026 so far: More of the same, with a few exceptions
The trend has continued in 2026 as well. Dhurandhar: The Revenge has earned Rs 1,813 crore worldwide. Border 2, a war drama, has collected Rs 450.19 crore. Telugu films Peddi and Karuppu have grossed Rs 338.98 crore and Rs 310.07 crore respectively.
| Year | Film | Worldwide Gross Collection |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Pushpa 2: The Rule | Rs 1,742.10 crore |
| 2024 | Kalki 2898 AD | Rs 1,042.25 crore |
| 2024 | Stree 2 | Rs 857.15 crore |
| 2024 | Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 | Rs 400.25 crore |
| 2025 | Dhurandhar | Rs 1,307.35 crore |
| 2025 | Kantara: Chapter 1 | Over Rs 850 crore |
| 2025 | Chhaava | Over Rs 800 crore |
| 2025 | Saiyaara | Rs 570.33 crore |
| 2026 | Dhurandhar: The Revenge | Rs 1,813.39 crore |
| 2026 | Border 2 | Rs 450.19 crore |
| 2026 | Peddi | Rs 338.98 crore |
| 2026 | Karuppu | Rs 310.07 crore |
Was he right?
Going by the numbers, Naseeruddin Shah’s argument holds up rather well. Look at the twelve biggest Indian hits across these three years, and at least nine of them are built around a hyper-masculine central figure.
But his other prediction deserves equal credit. He said sensitive films would still find their audience, and Saiyaara is proof that they can. Stree 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 also show that comedy and ensemble storytelling can hold their own against solo-hero action.
What the last three years confirm is less a total takeover by hyper-masculinity and more a market split down the middle: the biggest numbers still favour the alpha hero, but there is real room, and real money, in the films that don’t need one.
