'Kabir Singh': Bollywood's endless romance with toxic masculinity

Shahid Kapoor-starrer takes a huge step back when international film-makers are writing powerful female leads

KARACHI: SPOILER ALERT!

"The most flawed character I have ever played has become my most loved," Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor wrote in a recent Instagram post.

Multiple cigarettes, a bottle of liquor and a self-destructive, drug addicted protagonist - sounds too familiar, doesn't it? No, we aren't talking about the actor's last controversial project, Udta Punjab.

We're talking about his latest offering, Kabir Singh, a remake of the Tamil film, Arjun Reddy. Shahid plays Kabir - an extraordinary surgeon with massive anger management issues - who falls for a first-year student Preeti, played by Kiara Advani. And so, the troubles begin. Wait, no! Let me rephrase it - the troubles worsen.

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"This film has been made twice now?" Indian film critic Sucharita Tyagi shares in a video. "We need this to exist two times? Are you kidding me with this?"

In Kabir Singh's opening scene, we see Shahid forcing a girl to get intimate with him as he holds a knife in his hand. The girl, clearly terrified, might have agreed to his conditions if not for some epiphany he hadn't walked off.

You think this is problematic? Read on.

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In every other scene, Shahid is seen chasing a woman whether it is with an intention to harm her, hit her or abuse her in one way or another and the audience lauds on.

The story begins when Kabir spots Preeti on her first day of college and labels her as his girl. The first time the duo interacts in the film, he plants a kiss on her cheek without her consent, of course.

He then follows her around, throwing one fit after another as she eventually falls for him too. If that wasn't toxic enough, he threatens and insults her family because they refused to accept his proposal. Kabir then gives Preeti an ultimatum about their relationship and consumes himself in drugs to numb the heartache of course. He is soon seen unconscious as Preeti walks to his doorstep to look for him.

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He then causes a ruckus at his lover's wedding and slaps her when she tries to make him understand. Kabir enters a downward spiral after his romance with Preeti goes south as he indulges in alcohol, substance abuse and violence to fill the gap the love of his life has left in his heart.

However, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga tried to justify Kabir's questionable behaviour in the last 15 minutes of the film when he spots a pregnant Preeti and vows to never leave her again.

Kabir Singh's basic issue is romanticising a misogynistic, toxic relationship. The film so far has made business of over INR2 billion. Some even cited this as Shahid's best performance to date. The problem perhaps is more deep-rooted than we can muster. It's not only Shahid but the scriptwriter to be blamed for such irksome script.

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In an age where international film-makers are aiming for empowered female roles and women-centric films, Kabir Singh seems to take a huge step back.

But here's a bigger question: Where do the leads of Kabir Singh come in all this hoo-ha? Well, for starters, Shahid should've picked better films and roles to begin with. As for Kiara, she should've fought for a stronger character.

Looks like we are still decades behind making a tangible change when it comes to how women are represented in the film industry.

But let's give credit where it's due.

Kangana Ranaut might be known for picking a fight every now and then, however, there's no denying that the star owns every frame of the films she stars in. Let it be Queen, Simran, Manikarnika, Gangster or Tanu Weds Manu.

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According to The Independent, male characters dominated the big screen throughout the past year, according to a study released on Tuesday by the Centre for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University.

Only 35% of films included 10 or more female speaking roles, but a staggering 82% of movies had at least 10 male characters with speaking roles, according to the study titled It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World. Sadly, women representation in films has barely progressed in the last decade or so, Bustle reported.

While Kabir Singh has been called out for its worrisome content, will Bollywood and the global film fraternity stop masking troublesome lovers behind romance anytime soon?

We hope so.

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