The Kabir Singh controversy
The Kabir Singh controversy
By Sehan Malhotra
Editors: Udeshi & Mauraya
Before I begin to nitpick, I would like to say that I loved Kabir Singh. It was a film which was arguably Shahid Kapoor’s best performance. The Film possessed a powerful story, with authentic characterization and a scintillating music album. It also highlights issues such as society’s disapproval for marriage and drug addiction. I feel it was one of the best films of 2019 and all of the film's faults can not undermine its well-deserved success. However, it has a few problems.
To begin with, there were two main opinions regarding Kabir Singh and they stood radically opposed to one another. One side said that Kabir Singh glorifies misogyny and it basically sums up the reality of a male-dominated Indian culture. The other side said that Kabir Singh merely exercises it’s right to cinematic freedom and portrays a problematic and realistic character with excellent precision. I understand both sides of the argument, but…
Now the issue with Kabir Singh is that even if Kabir does something morally wrong, he still gets what he wants. During the introductory scene of Kabir Singh, we witness Kabir pointing a knife at a girl asking her to take off her clothes. While this cinematic freedom is allowed, it is not right to play a pacy, adrenaline-inducing soundtrack while this is happening to glorify his actions. This means Kabir is being shown as a hero for his actions. I remember I was in the cinema hall and as this scene played out there was constant hooting. It was as if Kabir’s behavior was being celebrated.
Kabir obsesses over Preethi, tells her what to do and kisses her the moment he meets her. What punishment did Kabir receive for such blatantly misogynistic behavior? None. He was rewarded for it because she fell in love with them. This celebrates the behavior that when a man wants something, he will get it, even if it means dominating his female counterpart. The first time Preethi properly speaks is towards the interval of the film. The film has a scene where Kabir slaps Preethi and instead of fighting for herself, she begs for his mercy. All of this would have been slightly (very slightly) more acceptable, if Kabir had realised his mistake towards the end of the film and apologised for his misogynstic behaviour. But instead he just says they are made for each other and they fall in love again. I hope you understand my point of view. There is the freedom to portray problematic characters, but this freedom shouldn’t lead to these characters being glorified as heroes. They shouldn’t be set up as cool, charming role models.