'Kabir Singh' (2019) - The Hindi remake of Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Telugu Film - 'Arjun Reddy' (2017).
Well, it's been quite a lot time since the release of this movie to give you guys any 'spoiler alerts' nor it is a movie critique in any way.
But what I am constantly observing on TV and social media is something that urged me to write about it.
Despite 'Kabir Singh' crossing Rs. 200 Crore plus smashingly, there is still a massive group of people criticising the film. While there is no denying the fact how brilliant and impeccable Shahid Kapoor acted which brought him many accolades and appreciations above and beyond, there is a huge section of our society having a problem with unapologetic toxic masculinity and misogynistic trait portrayed by the protagonist in the name of intensely passionate love.
This came like a storm to all our 'pseudofeminists' who have slammed the film for glorifying a character like Kabir Singh who finds it justified and right on his part to have slapped her lady love, kissed her without her consent, self-tutoring her outside the class, and so on.
First of all, I vehemently oppose any kind of abuse and violence in any sort of relationship or strata of society and strongly condemn its prevalence as well. But if I constrain myself inside the boundaries of this film per se, this kind of criticism is too bizarre!
I feel people who have been slamming it or against the character specifically, haven't been into passionate love as in true love, for both the people involved whether a guy or a girl, there is no restriction. Yes, of course, people have their views on it but the approach is different. They like to have it as cliche with Etiquettes, courtesy, gentlemanship, sobriety, etc etc. But no two individuals are the same nor imbibing above traits into one's lifestyle bars oneself to limit one's expression of love to the person involved. Complete surrender to another person with the full freedom of expression is the highest form of love where the person even doesn't care of his own self and that is what been portrayed in the movie. Thus for me, the character is much deeper than what it is being perceived.
Now if I talk about the film,
"there was a scene outside the railway station where Priti (the lead actress) had to leave 2 days earlier than Kabir (the protagonist), she wanted to stay and on her compelling to him for the same, Kabir shouted at her and as a reflex, she slapped him."
What would our pseudofeminists have to say on that?
(I heard people sitting there in the theatre laughing on that too).
Nothing because it was done by a woman and not a man.
Kabir, in turn, handled it calmly and smiled at it rather being violent because that was love. The authority and the right with which she slapped him was nothing but out of the love they shared. If deeply connected people in love are not free to express themselves in a love bond then I don't see anything left in the relation anymore.
And the last scene "where Priti expressed her anger and piled up emotions by constantly slapping Kabir as to vent the accumulations of past 9 months".
Had this scene been other way around, these pseudo feminists would have banned this movie claiming it to be inappropriate for our society.
A woman in love is free to express herself in whichever way she feels and wants to do but a man in love is questioned. WHY?
The criticism doesn't end here, the film critics even compared Shahid Kapoor's character of 'Kabir Singh' with Shah Rukh Khan's character of 'Rahul Mehra' in the movie 'Darr'. Absolutely no resemblance. While Rahul was the one-sided psycho lover who obsessively stalks his love interest who was already married to some other guy, Kabir and Priti, on the other hand, shared an intense love bond who happen to manage their years of long-distance relationship so well.
If Kabir was passionate enough to ruin himself in the grief of separation from Priti; if he could handle her aggression and slaps yet not utter a single word then his aggression, impatience and restlessness can also be understandable on his part. In no way, the abusive language or physical assault be supported but people need to perceive the character it was meant to be. It is not at all wise to always bring so-called pseudo feminism into play just to gather eyes.
After all, Priti equally reciprocated him with everything he did. Not even a single time in a movie, she seemed reluctant or unaccepting of what he did. He didn't force anything on her, she was too engrossed and involved in the wooing period and felt exhilarating in her new college life love.
If Kabir was a rebel, it was certainly due to a cause. He protected her from everything that is considered casual in college life, be it ragging or eve-teasing. He didn't let her fail in her exams so as to paint the town red and romance. But it went unnoticed by these critics. Look at the bigger picture and so stop making a mountain out of a molehill.
Well, guys, this was what I felt. My opinions may or may not gel well with yours. So everyone is free to comment as you feel.
XOXO