Actress Chitrangda Singh has come out in defence of Housefull 5 amid backlash over the film’s portrayal of women. In a recent interview, the Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi star emphasized that cinema should be viewed in the context of its genre and intent, and not every film needs to carry a moral or political message.“I think every film belongs to a certain genre — there’s a tone, a rhythm that’s set for it,” she told Bollywood Hungama, responding to the criticism that Housefull 5 promotes objectification. “Everything Akshay has done isn’t Housefull 5 — he’s also done Padman, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, and recently Kesari.”‘Kaafirana and Kundi were performances, not personal statements’Chitrangda further explained that as an actor, she has portrayed a range of characters — from socially empowered women to glamorous roles in songs — and each serves a specific cinematic purpose.“I’ve done films like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and Inkaar, where I portrayed very empowered women. But those characters are also a part of me as an actor,” she said. “I’ve also performed in songs like Kaafirana and Kundi — that, too, serves a purpose for me. It doesn’t mean that’s who I am at home. That’s not me personally.”‘Have a sense of humour — cinema is also about entertainment’Addressing concerns over political correctness in cinema, Chitrangda called for audiences to approach films with perspective — and a bit of levity. “This film also belongs to a certain kind. Firstly, it has already been cleared by the censor board,” she stated.
“But I think sometimes, we need to have a sense of humour about things — not everything can be politically correct, morally correct, or socially correct. We can’t always carry the baton for everything through cinema. A film is also meant to entertain.”Directed by Tarun Mansukhani, Housefull 5 brings together a massive ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Fardeen Khan, Dino Morea, Sanjay Dutt, Johny Lever, Chunky Panday, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Nana Patekar, Jackie Shroff, Ranjeet, Nikitin Dheer, Sonam Bajwa, and Soundarya Sharma.
