Rating : 1/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2019
Running time : 2 hours 52 minutes
Director : Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Cast : Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Soham Majumdar, Arjan Bajwa, Suresh Oberoi, Adil Hussain, Kamini Kaushal
Kid rating : PG-13
Kabir Singh (Shaid Kapoor) is the top student at a medical college. He is also a super-jock, a womanizer, used to throwing his weight around and getting his way. When he sees fresher Preeti Sikka (Kiara Advani) and falls in love with her, he uses his college seniority and clout to start a relationship with her. When the tumultuous relationship is brought to an end by her arranged marriage to someone else, Kabir goes to pieces . . .
The film details out the start of the relationship, its aftermath, and it’s affect on Kabir. This film is about Kabir, his life, his moods, his wants and his way. He is up one day, depressed another and dead-drunk the third. His friends and family try to make him see reason but they can only do so much.
Kabir Singh is a well-made movie, finely crafted, nicely paced etc. But, and this is a big but, this “love story” makes my hackles rise. While Shahid Kapoor gives this role his all, the character of Kabir is repellant and pretty loathsome. Kabir wants the girl, whether the girl wants him or not is immaterial. Preeti (Kiara Advani) is a meek, submissive sort of person, almost without a tongue in her mouth – her first dialog is 50 minutes into the film, and all she asks for in that line is validation from Kabir “What do you like in me?”. She is led by Kabir from the classroom to impromptu “dates” under the pretense of teaching her a subject, and she follows him meekly. Some of that might be explained away by his college seniority and the fear of “ragging”, but the film takes it to an incomprehensible level.
Kabir does as he wants with Preeti, and that apparently is quite alright with her. This, we are expected to believe, is ultimate, sublime love, although his behavior towards her is abusive. Instead of dissing such behavior, the film forgives all in the end, and Kabir (spoiler alert!) gets the girl, the approval of his family, the whole shebang!
This stalkerish, controlling, abusive behavior is quite a dangerous thing to portray on screen as “love” because it is apparently being taken as the epitome of romance by some youngsters. While Kabir’s character is a new low, Bollywood has long been on this slippery slope with its sexist agenda, and the whole “boys will be boys but the women have to be pativrata naris” philosophy.
Kabir’s behavior is problematic, and the film indicates that by the perceived disapproval of his family and friends. But on the flip side, he still remains the hero here, not the villain (there is no fall from grace), and receives no lasting reprimand. Also the film is sympathetic towards Kabir – he is the focus, we are prompted to laugh at his “predicaments” – like when his impromptu plan to rape a woman at knife-point is foiled, and he, poor chap, has to go without. Boo hoo. Were it that film-makers would turn as kindly a gaze towards put-upon Bollywood-ian women!
I see Kabir Singh referred to as “romance” and it makes me want to barf. So, despite the fact that this film is well-made, has a great star-cast and supporting cast, and some melodious music, I highly de-recommend it.
Kidwise: Be wary of the massively problematic tone. On screen there are some lip locks/love-making.
