Radhika Apte says she cannot watch violent films: ‘My brain can’t compute it’

Radhika Apte recently spoke about why she finds watching films with sustained graphic violence difficult. (Image Source: Instagram/@radhikaofficial)

In a recent interview, Radhika Apte confessed that she cannot watch violent movies. The actress said, “I don’t want to watch abusive films. My brain can’t compute it. Our senses are getting numb. Look at the firecrackers we crack in this pollution. People don’t care about animals and other things. I don’t know why we are being so unaware of others and ourselves.”

“I find it abusive to watch that amount of consistent violence. I don’t understand. These films are doing crores. How do you only blame the film industry? My brain can’t understand how such violent films are doing well at the box office,” she told Zoom.

Why are some people unable to watch violent or abusive content?

Watching scenes of brutal fights, abuse, or graphic violence can be genuinely difficult for some people, and finding such films hard to sit through is far more common than most people realise.

Some viewers can watch a gory action film and forget about it by the next morning. On the other hand, others feel shaken for days and keep replaying the scenes in their head when they’re trying hard to concentrate on work. At times, even falling asleep becomes difficult.

DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain a`nd/or the experts we spoke to.

Dr Chandni Tugnait, MD (A.M.), Psychotherapist, Life Alchemist, Coach & Healer, Founder & director of Gateway of Healing, says these reactions aren’t negative; the difference lies in what happens inside the brain while the film plays.

She explains why some people get affected more:

• When the body believes it: The brain cannot easily tell a screen apart from real life. So when a character is attacked, the person watching often reacts the way they would if something bad were happening right in front of them. Their heart speeds up, their muscles tighten, and stress hormones start flowing, even though they’re sitting safely on their sofa with a bowl of popcorn.
• Feeling what others feel: People who are very empathetic tend to have a harder time with these films. They don’t just see a character getting hurt; they feel a bit of that pain themselves, and that can be exhausting. It’s often the reason someone needs to leave the room or switch a film off halfway, while a friend watching alongside them doesn’t seem bothered at all.

Viewers can respond differently to violent scenes, with some experiencing distress long after watching them. (AI-generated image)

• When the past returns: For someone who has been through abuse or violence in their own life, a film can bring it all back without any warning. Sometimes it isn’t even the main scene that does it; it could be a door slamming or a man raising his voice, and suddenly they’re feeling the same fear they felt years ago.
• Some nervous systems react more: Some people’s nervous systems are simply more sensitive than others. Loud sounds and disturbing images hit them harder, and once they’re unsettled, it can take quite a while to feel calm again.
• Getting used to it: While some people avoid such movies, others watch a lot of violent content, and it slowly stops affecting them as much as it used to. That might sound harmless, but it can mean that real violence, whether in the news or around them, no longer shocks them the way it should.

However, staying away from violent or abusive films has nothing to do with being weak or too sensitive. It simply means a person understands what their mind can handle and is choosing to look after it. 

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DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain a`nd/or the experts we spoke to.