Tarun Mansukhani on Housefull 5 controversy: 'Nothing wrong with the film, but the mindset'

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Housefull 5 (released on June 6) became the quickest film starring Akshay Kumar to reach Rs 100 crore in India. Online discussions have begun in response to the film, with many expressing disapproval of the film's depiction of women and its use of mature humour. 

Soundary Sharma faces online backlash

Online critics have been harsh on Soundarya Sharma, accusing her of being "just eye candy" in the film and praising it for its anti-feminist message. In spite of this, the film's director Tarun Mansukhani has spoken out in defence of the decisions made. The filmmaker told News18 that the audience's reaction, rather than the film's actual content, is to blame for the outcry.

He explained, "I feel like there’s a lot of scrutiny on social media. I also believe that scrutiny tends to only happen on successful films. You tend to keep quiet if a film isn’t working at all. That’s when no one has any opinion and they don’t say anything. So, when people are making noise about my film, I actually feel very happy about it."

ALSO READ: Housefull 5 Review: Akshay Kumar steers a franchise that’s long been brain-dead; can it get any more pointless? 

Tarun Mansukhani responds to controversy

Mansukhani asserts that while some individuals may express criticism, many are interpreting the film from a biased perspective. He went on to say, "It means that they’re watching it with a certain eye and sensibility. You can scrutinise it. That’s fine. You’ve paid money to watch it, and so you get to have an opinion on my film. It’s not a placid film about which you don’t care or have an opinion. For those who’re calling it out, I want to say that it’s your choice to see and focus on that aspect of the film."

Mansukhani expressed concern about the portrayal of female characters, stating that they primarily drive the plot. The filmmaker stated, "Akshay decides to play Jolly and he comes to know that there is a missing son. So, he hires the character of Nargis (Fakhri) and asks him to join him on this search. One thing leads to another and they decide to backstab together. It’s Sonam (Bajwa) who backstabs Riteish (Deshmukh) and helps further the plot, which in turn helps bring a third Jolly. The actual plot is driven by women – to get the money. There’s a Soundarya who’s equal parts a suspect in this entire thing because she’s busy transferring funds into an offshore account."

Tarun Mansukhani's clarification

The fact that the protagonists aren't supposed to be good people was another thing he brought up. He shared, "They aren’t placid characters. In a murder mystery, nobody is a good person. One may choose to see a sexist side to it but I feel that I have done a lot more. It’s the audience’s choice to focus on whichever aspect they want to."

Cast members of Housefull 5 include Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Sonam Bajwa, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Ranjeet, Dino Morea, Fardeen Khan, Chitrangada Singh, Johnny Lever and Chunky Panday. The film also has two climaxes.