The makers of Kabir Singh are in a strange fix. Their movie is a very faithful remake of the 2017 Telugu film Arjun Reddy, that has been helmed by the same director, Sandeep Vanga Reddy. With a few minor changes, both in setting and character identities, to suit the sensibilities of the audience in Northern India, Kabir Singh is nearly almost Arjun Reddy. Shahid Kapoor in Kabir Singh or Vijay Deverakona in Arjun Reddy: Whose Performance as the 'Damaged' Lover Impressed You More?
Here comes the part that is strange - Arjun Reddy, that starred Vijay Deverakonda and Shalini Pandey in the lead, got high praises from the critics. They praised the unconventional themes of the film, its treatment and the performances of the cast, especially that of Vijay Deverakonda. Some of the critics even went to call the movie a landmark film in Telugu cinema.
It is the reverse when it comes to Bollywood, though. Kabir Singh has been criticised for its misogynistic representation of toxic masculinity. Sure, we had given a more positive review for the film, impressed with its unconventionality, Shahid Kapoor's aggressive performance and the treatment. But we were also stunned with the kid of behaviour that Kabir Singh, the protagonist, often displays especially towards women. He is shown as this brilliant surgeon whose subordinates are loyal to him even when he turns up drunk. But Kabir's attitude towards the female gender and his drug and booze abuse will disturb you for sure. Though the movie is never clear about it, but Kabir really seems to suffer from narcissistic personality disorder coupled with a violent streak. Kabir Singh Movie Review: Shahid Kapoor Smashes His Way to a Career-Best Performance in This Problematic Love Story.
Here's looking at 10 shocking things that Shahid Kapoor's character does in the movie that you wouldn't expect a hero in a mainstream movie to do! Interestingly, in a film that has enough F words thrown around, the cuss words feel more harmless compared to what Kabir is normally upto.
#1 Threatening A Girl To Have Sex With Him
In one of the opening scenes, Kabir goes to the flat of his patient's fiancee to have sex with her. When she offers resistance because she wants a little more intimacy, he tries to coerce her to take off her clothes with a pen-knife. Later he tries to get his best friend to give him details of a friend of his, so that he can get physical with her!
#2 Kissing Preethi Without Her Consent
Even though their romance is quite passionate and has its tender moments, Kabir and Preethi's romance has a very bumpy, problematic start. Infatuated with the fresh-faced, meek junior in his college, Kabir Singh tries to coerce himself into her personal space, leading to a scene where he kisses her on the cheek. This, when we are not even sure that she shares the same feelings about him.
#3 Making Preethi Sit Near A 'Healthy' Girl
To make sure that Preethi gets valued, he demands another girl in her class, who has a 'healthy' figure, to sit next to her. Damn, the man really doesn't think of moral conventions. He is like a horny Sheldon Cooper!
#4 Threatening An Entire Class in Punjabi
And as problematic his approach towards Preethi is, he later bullies an entire class of male juniors in front of the teacher to not flirt with the girl. So that the teacher, who doesn't seem to know Hindi, doesn't catch his intentions, his threats are in Punjabi. He even crassly adds that they will have other girls to hit on!
#5 Scaring Away His Maid
When his maid breaks a glass, the present-day Kabir Singh chases her away with such ferocity that we really think that he would have seriously injured her if he had got his hands on her!
#6 Slapping Preethi
The fight between Kabir and Preethi near her house is one of the most dramatic intense scenes in the film. Kabir, angry with her father's rejection of him, tries to shoo a persistent Preethi away. When she refuses to budge, he slaps her hard, which confirms that her love hasn't changed him much.
#7 Overdosing on Morphine and Losing Bladder Control
After his fight with Preethi, Kabir gets drunk at his brother's bachelor party and overdoses himself on morphine. This results in him falling unconscious and losing his bladder control, pissing all over inside his pants.
#8 Propositioning An Actress To Be Physical With Him
In the present day, Kabir meet actress Jia Sharma (Nikita Dutta), who is enamoured by his rough persona, but is shocked when he propositions her to have a physical relationship with him. No frills attached and all!
#9 Guiding an Operation When Inebriated
Well, this is not entirely Kabir's fault, as he is asked to guide an operation during an off day. And on his off day, all Kabir does is drink and do drugs. So in such a condition, Kabir is called in for an emergency operation. Thankfully for him, the patient survives but Kabir has to bear the consequences for his actions.
#10 Snorting on Cocaine Just To Be Awake
This is more of his friend's fault than his. Kabir is told to stay away from alcohol till the hearing is over (for the botched operation). Kabir tries hard at first, but later resists to the drink and goes into a drunken stupor. So to get him back to be conscious and be ready for the hearing, his friend makes him snort on cocaine, and it shockingly works! Easily the most disturbing scene in the film, that has enough slapping and cussing.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 22, 2019 11:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).