14 Toxic Male Characters Bollywood Needs To STOP Promoting

Bollywood has a tendency of overlooking possessive, stalkerish and overall toxic male characters and labeling them ‘romantic’. Not only is that unhealthy, it also promotes abusive behavior. When you are in a position of power where you can influence a million viewers, why would you pick these men as the role models?

1. Prem, Raja, Judwaa, Judwaa 2

01 toxic male characters

Let’s just start with how completely okay everyone was with their male chauvinistic outlook towards life. The girls were legit props and often clutched on to the men for dear life as the ‘men’ fought the battles. But Prem also kissed his girlfriend’s mom and that’s where I drew the line with this film.

2. Rahul, Dil To Pagal Hai

Rahul led on a sweet girl like Nisha till he found the ‘sanskaari’ girl he could get married to and that’s basically the plot of this film. There is a fine line between being a ‘bro’ and making someone believe you’re in love with them. This movie is an anthem for fuckboys around the country.

3. Raj, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

03 toxic male characters

Raj emotionally blackmails Simran by crashing her wedding, because he loves her. Now let’s look at this objectively – he has no job, barely a degree and spends all his day getting drunk with his equally rich and spoilt friends. No wonder her dad hated him. For all we know, Simran was just another adventure.

4. Sid, Wake Up Sid!

Yes, Sid was cute. But he was also a man-child who took his daddy’s money for granted and expected a mom out of Aisha. Nobody needs a kid like this in their life, he needs a babysitter, not a girlfriend.

5. Rahul, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

05 toxic male characters

Rahul is a serial dater and leads his best-friend on for years before he found the hottie he could marry. Also, Anjali in a saree is suddenly attractive but when she was playing basketball with you, she was simply bruising your ego? Go figure. Also, he opens her saree cause it’s funny. No.

6. Mr. Malhotra, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

I personally love Anupam Kher as an actor, but he was just a terrible father in this movie. He spoilt his kid rotten and then gave in to his stubbornness, traveling all the way to Punjab just so Raj could win.

7. Chulbul Pandey, Dabangg

07 toxic male characters

He puts her dad in jail because he wants to meet her once again. What? And is also very happy about her father dying because now he gets to marry her. How does any of this sound normal?

8. Sreenath Prasad, Main Tera Hero

Stalking is just the beginning, he gets her involved in his strange world of gangsters and no matter how you try to justify it. He wasn’t just ‘quirky’ or funny.

9. Kundan, Raanjhanaa

09 toxic male characters

There was nothing good about this character. He stalked her, emotionally blackmailed her and even threatened to kill himself. All the while, camouflaging it as love.

10. Rajkumar, R…Rajkumar

If you don’t know this movie then it’s the one with Gaandi Baat. That song could be the theme song of eve-teasers and stalkers around the world. Why Shahid Kapoor would agree to a movie like this makes no sense to me.

11. Badrinath, Badrinath Ki Dulhania

11 toxic male characters

There is a legit dialogue in this film where she asks him ‘Na ka matlab nahi samajh aata tumko’? Does anyone hear the concent bells ringing? I can’t decide if this movie was worse or Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.

12. Ayan, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

No means no, and Ayan in this film has clearly forgotten the concept of consent. She likes you as a friend, move on. Don’t make a big deal out of being friend zoned and give her googly eyes for the rest of her life.

13. Raj Aryan, Mohabbatein

13 toxic male characaters

Remember the Holi song (Soni Soni) in this movie where they harass girls on the street? Raj Aryan also convinces Jugal Hansraj’s character to get his love interest to dump her boyfriend. This movie had too many characters that promoted chauvinism and fed male egos.