"Kabir Singh"-film or not?

In this article, we shall explain why Kabir Singh is neither acceptable nor art in any form.

1) The problem is not showing violence against women. That's obviously a very real depiction of the society we live in. The problem is how you show it. If you show sexual violence from the perspective of the perpetrator, as a 'quirk' of the character, then it's problematic. When you show it from the perspective of the victim, the telling of it is vastly different.

It all depends on whose side the writer's sympathies lie on - the abuser or the victim. And that sympathy is not left to the interpretation of the audience, no sir. The intention of a scene (and what it wants the audience to feel) is built up not just by physical actions of the characters but also the dialogue, background music, consequences of the scene. To break it down, one would feel differently about sitcoms like FRIENDS if the laughter-tracks would be replaced by soap-operatic music. One would also not feel the way they do in horror films if all tense music was cut out. But that's just the influence of music in a scene. There are many such aspects of filmmaking that literally tell the audience what to feel. The interpretation of the audience and the intention of the maker aren't on polar opposites lol.

The ones making Kabir Singh wanted the audience to feel like he's a 'badass' when he (like an absolute roadside creep) put ice in his pants, or when he threatened rape to that woman at knife-point.

Depicting reality and celebrating it are two different things.

2) Yes, Game of Thrones has been known to show gratuitous violence against its women. It has been known to depict patriarchy, infidelity and the whole spectrum. While GoT has been heavily criticized for the gratuitous rape scenes (seriously Google it), comparing it to Kabir Singh is misplaced.

Game of Thrones does not always celebrate its abusers. Ramsay Bolton, Meryn Trant, Littlefinger, Roose Bolton, Joffrey Baratheon have not been hailed as 'heroes'. The storyline too gives them the deaths they deserve. The women in GoT, take back their autonomy.

Does not make the unnecessary scenes excusable, but it's not the same as Kabir Singh. Not by a mile.

3) Safeena from Gully Boy:

Now here is where it gets interesting. Alia Bhatt plays a character whose socio-economic position makes her without any freedom, without autonomy. Whenever Safeena has let her repressed violence come out, the characters around her and she herself has condemned it during the course of the movie. Moreover, while the movie does not justify her actions, it certainly takes the pain to add context to her behavior. Safeena comes from a household where she does not have much choice and decades of oppression. Her boyfriend Murad is the only choice she makes outside of her social and religious obligations. Her anger stems from losing out on that only free choice in her life.

Kabir Singh does not once condemn the criminal actions of its protagonist, it does not even acknowledge them. It asks us, the audience, to see them as just actions of heartbreak. Almost like an equivalent to getting a bad haircut after a break-up.

4) No, Kabir Singh will not make an abuser out of you if Gangs of Wasseypur did not influence you to go on a murder spree. If it does, then the problem is with you. However, the films we consume have shaped our idea of romantic love. It's silly to completely discount the effect it has on people who do not have the privilege of a Facebook discourse. Bollywood has normalized eve-teasing since forever and any cringe-worthy 80s dance-number confirms it.

Having said this, the problem isn't whether Kabir Singh influences a guy to molest me. That comes much much later. The problem is, why should a film like Kabir Singh even exist?

Imagine a woman going to the theatre to watch just another Shahid Kapoor film on a Friday. Imagine her watching that scene where he holds a knife up to a girl and asks her to undress. Imagine her watching that scene where he slaps his girlfriend or drags her out of class. At that moment, she has to relive what was likely the worst experience of her life, while the audience around her cheers on and the music on screen is 'Bekhayali'. That is the precise moment when she's thinking back to the single most horrifying thing that ever happened to her.

I know that might be a little hard for most men to understand. How certain works of 'art' makes us women have out-of-body experiences of past trauma. And yes, there is that elusive exit sign, we can leave. But your laughter and validation keep ringing in our ears.