Not Shahid Kapoor, Raj Kapoor Was the First Kabir Singh of Bollywood? Twitterati Share Clips of Old Movies That Depict How Lovers ‘Slap and Make Up’!

Kabir Singh could easily win the award for the most divisive movie of 2019, hands down! The Bollywood remake of the 2017 Telugu film Arjun Reddy has been slammed by many critics alleging glorification of misogyny and toxic masculinity. The audience's reactions are otherwise - Kabir Singh has been breaking records at the box office. It is the first Adult rated movie and first Shahid Kapoor starrer to enter the Rs 200 crore club, and is on its way to becoming the highest grossing Bollywood movie of 2019. The surprising factor is that even women are going in droves to watch the film. Kabir Singh Box Office Collection Day 17: Shahid Kapoor Starrer Surpasses the Lifetime Collection of Kick and Chennai Express, Rakes in Rs 235.72 Crore.

Kabir Singh, co-starring Kiara Advani, gained further outrage after its director, Sandeep Vanga Reddy, gave an interview to FilmCompanion editor Anupama Chopra. In the interview, he slammed the critics who bashed the film, calling them the curse of the industry. Not to mention, fat-shaming an eminent journalist in the process. Shahid Kapoor’s Kabir Singh Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga Starts a Whole New Heated Debate with His Latest Interview.

The controversy didn't end there. Vanga also claimed that it can't be true love if it is not depicted physically, even through slaps. Twitterati has accused the film-maker of condoning domestic violence through his statements.

Some of the Twitter users are even sharing clips of old movies where couples are slapping each other and then end up hugging. The most hilarious and perhaps one of the earlier scenes of toxic masculinity comes from the 1951 film Awaara, where Raj Kapoor forcibly holds Nargis' character and slaps her, only for her to falls on his feet when he tries to walk away. Fans are calling the male character as the first Kabir Singh.

Not just Awaara, there are other clips going viral too...

With the outrage over Vanga's comments getting more and more heat, Kangana Ranaut's sister Rangoli has come out in support of the director. She claims that even Alia Bhatt's character in Gully Boy has been equally violent and yet she got away with less scathing comments.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 08, 2019 03:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).