The release of Tabaahi, the latest song from Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, has sparked online debate over Kiara Advani’s romantic scenes with Yash.
As some social media users criticised Kiara while praising Yash for the same performance, British actor Benedict Garrett, who also stars in the film, has called out the apparent double standards.
In a video shared on Instagram, Benedict pointed out the difference in the way social media users have reacted to the two actors.
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?”
In the caption accompanying the video, he further questioned, “Why is Kiara Advani being attacked for doing her job, while Yash is being praised for doing exactly the same thing?”
Benedict also reminded viewers that Yash is married and has children, arguing that the criticism should not fall on Kiara alone. “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.”
He added in his caption, “The backlash over the Tabahi music video says far more about society than it does about either actor.”
Explaining his perspective as an actor, Benedict said audiences often blur the line between a performer’s work and personal life. According to him, Kiara and her husband Sidharth Malhotra would naturally understand that acting sometimes involves portraying romance, intimacy, kissing and even simulated sex as part of a story.
“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,” he said. “The problem is not her professionalism. It’s the double standards and the hypocrisy of the people attacking her.”
Benedict also explained why he felt compelled to address the issue. “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 judged for their performances rather than their marital status. “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.”
The release date of Toxic has been pushed several times. The film will finally arrive in theatres on August 26.
The film is produced by Venkat K. Narayana and Yash under KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations. Written and shot in Kannada and English, it will have dubbed versions in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam.
