- Song ‘Tabaahi’ sparked criticism for Kiara Advani’s romantic scenes.
- Co-star Benedict Garrett defended Kiara, citing public double standards.
- Garrett emphasized actors portray roles, not their personal relationships.
The release of Tabaahi, the latest song from Geetu Mohandas’ upcoming film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, has fuelled widespread discussion online. While many viewers appreciated the on-screen chemistry between Yash and Kiara Advani, others criticised Kiara over her romantic scenes after her marriage and motherhood. Now, British actor Benedict Garrett, who also features in the film, has publicly defended his co-star, questioning why the criticism has been directed at Kiara while Yash has largely received praise.
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Benedict Garrett Questions The Difference In Reactions
Sharing a video on Instagram, Benedict addressed the contrasting responses received by the film’s lead pair. He argued that the praise showered on Yash stood in sharp contrast to the criticism aimed at Kiara.
He said, “I’ve seen people praising Yash, filling his comments with fire emojis and saying how amazing he looks. But when it comes to Kiara Advani, she’s become the butt of jokes. People are saying things like, oh, she only just got married, she’s a mother, she’s on a honeymoon instead of Sidharth Malhotra. Seriously?”
He also reminded viewers that Yash is married with children, saying, “You see, Yash, he’s also married, he also has children. So why is only the woman getting the abuse, while the man apparently gets the applause? Listen, here’s the reality check. They are actors. Their job is to act, to portray characters, to make you believe that they are in love, even when they’re not. Their job is to tell stories that reflect the human experience.”
‘Actors Are Doing Their Job,’ Says Benedict
The actor went on to say that the audiences should separate an actor’s professional responsibilities from their personal lives. According to him, performers are often required to portray romance and intimacy as part of storytelling, and that should not invite personal criticism.
He said Kiara and her husband, Sidharth Malhotra, would naturally understand the demands of the profession, including scenes involving romance, intimacy, kissing and simulated sex.
Benedict added, “They’re not criticising her for her acting. They’re criticising her for being somebody’s wife, for being somebody’s mother. As though marriage somehow means an actress should stop acting. That is ridiculous. The problem is not her professionalism. It’s the double standards and the hypocrisy of the people attacking her.”
Talking about why he chose to speak publicly, Benedict said, “As a professional actor who’s worked in films, web series and television-including intimate scenes, simulated sex scenes and full nudity-I wanted to share my perspective on where acting ends and real life begins.”
He concluded by stressing that actors should be evaluated for their performances rather than their personal relationships.
“Actors are paid to portray characters, not to live their personal lives on screen. If we start judging actors for playing romantic roles simply because they’re married, we’ve completely misunderstood what acting is. Every actor has their own boundaries, and that’s completely valid. But attacking an actor for professionally portraying romance on screen isn’t criticism-it’s a misunderstanding of the craft.”
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Toxic Continues To Generate Buzz Ahead Of Release
Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has remained one of the year’s most closely watched films, with its promotional material repeatedly sparking conversation online. From its posters and teaser to the recently released Tabaahi song, the film has attracted significant attention.
The cast also includes Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. Produced by Venkat K. Narayana and Yash under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations, the film has been written and shot in Kannada and English and will also be released in dubbed versions in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.
Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on August 26.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source news.abplive.com ’
