Can a female role player just live ?

Yesterday, a high-octane teaser of Ayan Mukerji’sWar 2dropped online, and it’s got everyone talking.

The activeness - packed sequel toWarstarsHrithik Roshan , Jr. NTR , and Kiara Advani , and is slate for a theatrical tone ending on 14th August .

Fans are particularly impressed by Jr. NTR’s role, sharing how well suited he is against Hritik Roshan. Since its release, the teaser has garnered over 70 million views across platforms.

Another little detail in the teaser: Kiara Advani’s introduction. She is seen wearing a bikini and walking by a swimming pool. Though the scene lasted just one second, it has got people (men) on the internet losing their damn minds.

KiaraAdvani was trending on X ( formerly sleep together as Twitter ) earlier today , with over 16,000 tweet under the hashtag .

So impactful was her ONE SECOND appearance, that director Ram Gopal Varma, in a now-deleted tweet, insinuated that the film would likely be successful if the two actors were fighting over her ‘back’ instead of over ‘countries or societies’. His tweets were accompanied by screenshots of Kiara Advani in the bikini, with her back facing the camera.

Always keeping it respectful .

With thediscoursearound women’s representation on screen, quality of female characters written for Indian films, and much more in full swing in the past few years, a trending hashtag focusing on a woman’s body and that alone is disheartening, though unsurprising.

In 2023, actorDeepika Padukonereceived intense backlash for wearing a saffron-colored bikini in the songBesharam Rang, from theShah Rukh Khanstarrer,Pathaan.The song was also critiqued for its ‘excessive skin show’.

Despite threats to boycott the film , Pathaanwent on to earn a whopping 1,055 crore worldwide .

The duality of the Indian man is worth studying — criticizing women for wearing ‘revealing’ clothes while simultaneously contributing to their success by paying for it.

For a mystifier that showed a distaff fibre for but seconds , it is deserving pondering over that this is still probable to be the reason people flock over to the field and watch the celluloid .

Until then, let’s wait for the trailer to truly understand where they all stand, shall we?

Two people in a dramatic action scene inside an icy cave, mid-combat, with one jumping toward the other

A woman in a swimsuit stands on a path, with a serene grassy and hilly landscape in the background

Person in a dark hoodie at a media event, standing against a backdrop with partially visible text reading "July 15th."

A couple dances passionately on a beach with drummers and sailboats in the background. The woman wears an elegant, flowing outfit

A woman with long hair looks over her shoulder in an outdoor setting, conveying a serene and thoughtful expression