Shahid Kapoor starrer ‘Kabir Singh’ has been declared a blockbuster by many film trade analysts.
The film grossed Rs 100 crore (A$20 mn) in the first week of its release, according to the eminent trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
However, the film has been denounced by many as misogynistic and dangerous. Author and film critic Ajay Brahmatmaj says Kabir Singh is a dangerous film.
“It is an average film that glorifies and justifies the patriarchy in Indian society. So, despite being entertaining, it is a dangerous film,” Mr Brahmatmaj told SBS Hindi.
‘Kabir Singh’ which is a remake of Telugu film Arjun Reddy, is a story of a short-tempered medical practitioner who becomes a drug addict following his girlfriend’s marriage with another person.
The way he mistreats women, uses them for sex and abuses them in the film, has been criticised by many.
Author and scholar Hindol Sengupta said he felt nauseated that Hindi cinema continues to showcase the worst kind of violent, male archetypes like in Kabir Singh.
Listen to the complete interview:
Film’s writer and director Sandeep Reddy Vanga described the main character as a man with anger issues who is heartbroken. He says he is not bothered about the critics.
"I genuinely do not bother about pseudo-feminists and pseudo-sympathisers. There is not one place where I have shown women in a derogatory way. There is no bum or cleavage shot. I never asked my audience to look at the girl’s body," Sandeep Reddy Vanga told Scroll in an interview.
"Before people ask me this, they should look at other films in India. I don’t think anyone with these concerns are actually sensitive towards women. That question could have been put forward in a different way. Just because something is wrong in society, you cannot put out your frustration in a question like that," he said.
Critics, however, refuse this justification.
“I have no objection to presenting any character. I respect creative freedom. However, I would object to any attempt at justifying what is wrong. ‘Kabir Singh’ is doing the same. It justifies a man who is abusive to women. It justifies that system which produces such men. This is unacceptable. There is a reason why art theories differentiate between a hero and a villain. The arts have a responsibility towards the society.”
‘Kabir Singh’ is a major success for the actor Shahid Kapoor who was desperately looking for a hit after a series of flops in the recent past.
