In one such instance, some viewers took to social media to express concern over a subplot in the recently released Netflix film Aap Jaisa Koi, suggesting that it might promote cheating in marriages.
Backed by Dharma Productions, Aap Jaisa Koi stars R. Madhavan as Shrirenu and Fatima Sana Shaikh as Madhu. It's a sweet film about two individuals who fall in love despite their differences and how they navigate them together.
One of the film's subplots focuses on Shrirenu's sister-in-law, who is stuck in a stagnant, suffocating marriage. Her husband constantly suppresses her, mocks her, and undermines her at every step. Eventually, she finds herself drawn to another person who treats her with the respect and kindness she has long been denied.
As the film progresses, she delivers a heartfelt monologue about her longing for a love that is equal, supportive, and one where she feels truly seen, something she no longer finds in her current relationship.
This subplot triggered many viewers who believed it was an attempt to justify cheating in marriage. Some even argued that characters in cinema should be written with more moral responsibility.
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In response, others defended the film, stating that it didn't normalise cheating, it simply highlighted the emotional and psychological suffocation many women feel in traditional, patriarchal marriages.
When people's long-held beliefs are challenged, they often struggle to accept why certain stories are told the way they are in films.
A woman leaving her ignorant and disrespectful husband is labelled a "cheater," but rarely does anyone question why such behaviour from husbands is normalised in the first place.
Why is it that a woman finally choosing herself and standing up for her happiness is considered unethical, while a man's consistent emotional neglect is accepted without question?
It is films like these that spark much-needed conversations. And that's exactly what we need because conversation is the first step toward change. Aap Jaisa Koi is helping make that happen.

