Oscar nominee issues apology

ARLA Sofia Gascón, the star of Emilia Pérez, has apologised for her controversial social media posts that recently resurfaced.

- KARTIK BHARDWAJ

N his hero-entry scene in Deva, Shahid Kapoor, in a buzz cut and a stubble, thrusts his pelvis to 'Are Diwano Mujhe Pehchano' from Don (1978). In a mural, Amitabh Bachchan's Vijay, another Salim-Javed anti-hero, lounges in the background. In the desperation to attain mass appeal, the angry young Bachchan has become the new cardboard cutout of every deviant and volatile protagonist in Hindi cinema. In Jigra (2024), Alia Bhatt stuffs her mouth, prepping herself for an odyssey as Agneepath (1990) plays on TV. Ranbir Kapoor's 'Animal' reveals his name to be Rann 'Vijay'. Every creator seems to be showcasing their characters as the angry young men or women for the modern age. But nobody is imbibing its essence. In an interview, Javed Akhtar eloquently described his creation: "The angry young man wasn't just angry. He was deeply hurt." I don't know what ails today's on-screen rebel. What hurts him? Who is he angry with? What is he angry about?