When it comes to action films, there's not much difference between the West and Bollywood. They are all but a celebration of machismo with often wafer-thin storylines and praise-worthy special effects. As an audience, there's no doubt that action as a genre is key and I realise that it makes a for a thrilling watch in theatres. Although, recently, there have been debates surrounding films that almost romanticize violence in the name of entertainment. The trailer of Tiger Shroff, one of Bollywood's much-loved action star, Baaghi 3 released on February 6, 2020, and while it looks like it has all the fodder to become a huge box office hit, there's something disturbing about the film's big selling point of 'Ronnie (Shroff) takes on a country' and that according to the film's story is Syria. Baaghi 3 Trailer: Tiger Shroff-Riteish Deshmukh’s Actioner Gives Major Dejavu Feels of War, Tiger Zinda Hai and Phantom!

Even for those who don't read newspapers every day, especially not the world section, there's still some awareness about the Syrian conflict. The war-torn country is facing airstrikes from the Israeli army as we speak and to even watch a trailer like that of Baaghi 3 which shows a shirtless Tiger Shroff, flauting his washboard abs, standing tall as army tankers close in on him and yet him standing atop choppers in the midst of all destruction is far too shameful. Nothing echoes in my head other than the words of director Feras Fayyad, whose documentary, The Cave has been nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category at this year's Academy Awards. Recently, while giving an interview to AP, Fayyad said, "There’s nothing harder than losing your home, nothing harder than losing everything around you. But there is something that gives me hope that I can speak about this and bring more attention to this situation and remind the Syrian people: We are still human, we still have a dream, we still believe in justice. For this little moment, I would love for ‘The Cave’ to bring hope to my country and my people.” Not to mention after a lengthy struggle, Fayyad has now been granted a visa and will be travelling to Los Angeles for the ceremony.

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If this is any less touching, there's also another Oscar nominee, For Sama  which is a brave documentary shot by Syrian filmmaker, Waad al-Kateab who filmed her experiences through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria. These films bare the truth of the horrible circumstances that have left civilians in Syria broken and hence a film like Baaghi 3 which merely uses the country's disturbed milieu to celebrate the lead's heroic acts is a problem. It's as if the nine-year war that has plagued the country needed a beefed-up Tiger Shroff to resolve its conflicts and not US and Russian intervention. Baaghi 3 Trailer: Tiger Shroff's Film Goes Insane With Stunts But Twitterati Is Busy Cracking Jokes.

For a fictional story as this, the film could have been set in any place or even a fictional one for the sake of celebrating the acts of a man who can pull off air kicks and escape blasts without so much as a scratch. We understand that audiences find entertainment in action sequences but when you show a man going up against a country like Syria, I'm not sure what you're trying to prove.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2020 01:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).