‘You’re the fool’: Amaal Mallik on violence in films after Andhra chainsaw attack

Singer and composer Amaal Mallik has weighed in on the debate over violent cinema and its influence on young audiences following the chainsaw attack at a school in Andhra Pradesh, arguing that films alone cannot be held responsible for criminal behaviour and turning the mirror on his own industry by questioning why songs with questionable lyrics and themes face none of the scrutiny that films do.

Amaal Mallik, in his statement, was unequivocal in condemning the attack. “I understand why people are concerned. Films and music can influence young people, and some kids copy what they see. Filmmakers should think about how they show violence. I would never support anyone going into a school, college or any other place to kill someone with a chainsaw. It is horrifying and completely wrong,” he wrote.

But he rejected the idea that cinema is the primary driver of such violence. He said family values, upbringing, the political climate, personal experiences and trauma all shape individual behaviour and that singling out films is a simplification. “If you are getting so influenced by a film, you’re the fool,” he said.

I understand why people are concerned. Films and music can influence young people, and some kids copy what they see. Filmmakers should think about how they show violence.

But cinema alone cannot be blamed for someone’s actions. Family values, upbringing, the political climate in different states, and the way each person thinks and reacts all matter.

People’s experiences and trauma can affect them too. Everyone has good and bad in them, but none of this excuses violence.

I would never support anyone going into a school, college or any other place to kill someone with a chainsaw. It is horrifying and completely wrong.

The attack in Andhra Pradesh deserves a serious discussion, but we should not assume that one film, song or filmmaker caused it.

I have enjoyed Animal, Kabir Singh, Dhurandhar, KGF and many other films, but I have also had problems with some scenes.

A film is a story, and we should know that we do not have to copy everything we see. Many people work together to make a film. These are recent examples too.

If social media and today’s moral policing had existed in the 70s, 80s and 90s, people would have found plenty to criticise in films from those years as well.

Age ratings should be followed. Parents should not bring infants to films rated -A. We can take the influence of films seriously while also expecting viewers to understand the difference between a story and real life.

If we criticise films, we should be fair and look at songs too. Ban songs like Kar Gayi Chull, Rom Rom Romantic (both my songs), Beedi Jalaile, Pink Lips and Chikni Chameli, Munni Badnaam, why are they celebrated and used on reality shows ??

There are also so many songs and content pieces outside of films, specially rap music available on YouTube and Instagram, especially from the northern belt, about murder, power and aggression. Some songs call women “items” or talk about picking up girls. Parents play these songs around their children and encourage them to dance to them.

It’s an art form, and we all can go right or wrong sometimes, but it’s a bloody imaginative space.

If you are getting so influcned by a film you’re the fool.

If every film, song or show with violence or questionable content is blamed for people’s actions, then ban Pushpa, KGF, Latent and other comedy shows

Why don’t we all become the moral police and ban everything? Cinema can influence people, but it is not the only reason someone commits a crime.

— Amaal Mallik (@AmaalMallik) November 4, 2026

Amaal Mallik acknowledged that he has watched and enjoyed films like Animal, Kabir Singh, Dhurandhar and KGF, though he has had issues with specific scenes in them. He said audiences should be able to distinguish between fiction and reality. “Let’s talk about songs too. If we criticise films, we should be fair and look at songs too,” he said. “Ban songs like Kar Gayi Chull, Rom Rom Romantic, both my songs, Beedi Jalaile, Pink Lips, Chikni Chameli, Munni Badnaam. Why are they celebrated and used on reality shows?”

He also highlighted the growing presence of rap music and other content on YouTube and Instagram that revolves around themes of murder, power, aggression and the objectification of women. He raised concerns about parents playing such music around their children and encouraging them to dance to it without considering the content.

On age ratings and parental responsibility

Amaal Mallik stressed that the existing age certification system for films should be taken seriously, saying parents should not take infants or young children to films certified for adult audiences. He argued that the responsibility for what children consume does not rest solely on the creators of content but also on the parents who allow access to it.

Also Read: ‘Opportunism’: Sandeep Reddy Vanga slams claims of Animal inspiring Andhra chainsaw attack

He described cinema as a creative and imaginative space and said that while films can influence people, they cannot be considered the sole reason behind criminal behaviour.

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What led to the controversy

The attack by a 21-year-old man who entered a classroom in an Andhra Pradesh school and assaulted two female students with a chainsaw sent shockwaves across the country. In the aftermath, several voices on social media, including YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, pointed to violent, adult-certified Bollywood blockbusters such as Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller franchise Dhurandhar and Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s 2023 family crime drama Animal as films that provide a “template” for such acts of violence to impressionable viewers.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga responded on X, saying the response to a crime should be empathy and an attempt to understand the larger problem, “not finding a convenient scapegoat in cinema.” He accused some of his critics of being “frustrated, jobless actors and directors” using the tragedy to settle personal scores.