Shahid Kapoor’s new film ‘Kabir Singh’ might be close to the 100 crore mark, but it’s sparked controversy for allegedly romanticizing misogynistic behavior.
‘Kabir Singh’ in short, is about a house surgeon (Shahid Kapoor) who falls into substance abuse and violence after his girlfriend (Kiara Advani) is coerced into marrying someone else.
It had a monstrous opening weekend in India, almost toppling the 100 crore mountain (it’s gathered Rs 70 crore), however, it has been condemned for glorifying sexism and poisonous toxic masculinity.
Twitter has been flooding in opinions and reviews about the film, with many strongly dismissing it for assault against women and romanticizing the hero behind it, Kabir.
In a country plagued with violence against women, I feel nauseated that Hindi cinema continues to showcase the worst kind of violent, male archetypes like in #KabirSingh I am all for creative freedom but is there nothing called a sense of social responsibility? Surely a balance?
— HindolSengupta (@HindolSengupta) June 22, 2019
#KabirSingh emerges a blockbuster and will cross ₹ 100 cr in 5 days. This shows what's wrong with our audience. Now Bollywood filmmakers will make more films on similar topics where men abuse, slap and harass women. 😑 https://t.co/IdGnif8hZQ
— Tejan Shrivastava (@BeingTeJan) June 25, 2019
Don't understand why #KabirSingh is getting rave reviews from the critic. We have enough films in our kitty to show how strong 90% of the women are. What's the harm in showing the other 10% who needs a Kabir Singh in their lives as a pillar? #Bollywood
— Oishee Mukherjee (@Oishee26) June 25, 2019
Once again, a movie is celebrating violence in the name of love. #KabirSingh pic.twitter.com/WePjhBo5Td
— Tamanna (@Being_Tamanna) June 25, 2019
The fact that most women around me enjoyed #KabirSingh and idealised the “love” he had for Preeti is terrifying. I’ve been told this is what true love is like.
— Rooshie 😸 (@iluvquantumphys) June 25, 2019
#kabirsingh might just cross #uri in gross collection…its a shame. Speaks volumes of the mentality of people… Preaching on social media is a different thing but at home they just love #women being subjugated. Aaaaa thuu. Go on now indulge in whataboutery. https://t.co/sGfhYNyL7I
— dev mahadev देव महादेव 🏳️🌈 (@divyans123) June 25, 2019
Patriarchal society #KabirSingh can't be my hero 👎 https://t.co/Smrh7TTvQk
— Tamanna (@Being_Tamanna) June 25, 2019
#KabirSingh made 70 crores at the box office as of today. Why are we helping propagators of misogyny think they can get away with it like their protagonist did?
— NotADimSim (@SJuwarker) June 25, 2019
Someone asked me after my last post what's wrong with an Actor choosing a role? Dear pal there is never a wrong or a right it's the choices that you make on screen to portray is what defines who you are! A character is only a piece of written paper if not enlivened by an actor!
— Vani Tripathi Tikoo (@vanityparty) June 25, 2019
A scene in ‘Kabir Singh’ has gone viral online, where domestic help breaks a glass by accident and is chased around the house and almost killed by Kabir in a fit of rage. The ‘Arjun Reddy’ remake has more disturbing moments of sexual assault and unapologetic toxic masculinity. The question of consent is thrown out the window in ‘Kabir Singh’ – he represents a popular trait in most men who assume that their sexual feelings for women are instantly reciprocated.
It begs to ask when will Indian cinema cease it’s abetting a younger generation of sexual misconduct and a lack of understanding consent. India has already seen far too many cases of rape and assault, with an overtly large chunk of the population influenced by what they see on television and in films; and in most cases, it’s an uneasy celebration of poisonous masculinity.