Trigger warning: This article contains references to death, alcoholism, and drug addiction
Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Kabir Singh was released on June 21, 2019 and it has been 5 years since the film’s release. Even though the film turned out to be a huge commercial success, it received a disappointing response from a section of the audience. Ever since its release, the titular character played by Shahid Kapoor has been one of the most talked about characters in the Hindi film industry. Certain qualities of his character offended a section of the audience so much that they failed to notice his good side.
While the character arc clearly went unnoticed, the entire movie was judged based on its toxic side. Well, let’s keep another day to analyze the movie! Today we will analyze the character and analyze both its negative and positive sides.
Kabir Singh’s anger management issues
The film takes no time in establishing that Kabir Singh has trouble controlling his anger. The story is narrated from his perspective which confuses the audience and makes them wonder if it is glorifying his actions. It is not! But this is just the beginning of the 172-minute journey of a complex character.
As the film progresses, on taking a closer look at him, you realise that he is not entirely a dark character. It is not appropriate to raise a hand on your partner, so that is definitely a problematic side of his character, but even when he gets slapped by his partner, one should not close their eyes.
Seeing him running after his maid, everyone thought that he intended to harm her. It was an intriguing scene, but it is not too difficult to understand that he was just loitering around. Yes, in this state, he is an unpredictable man-child who can scare anyone with a single look, but one can easily guess his intention because when he sees her hiding behind the wall, he waits to be seen by her and run away again. He was just looking for some entertainment. A man who is completely broken from inside and is on a self-destructive journey cannot harm someone just because she broke his mirror.
Anger is more important than love
Kabir Singh is desperately in love with Preeti (played by Kiara Advani) and feels possessive towards her when he calls her ‘meri bandi’. This is problematic for someone who is observing their relationship but if it works for him and his partner, then it is good for them.
However, the problem with Kabir is that anger is more important to him than love. The reason behind this is that he can control his partner but he is controlled by his anger. So when it comes to choosing between Preeti and his anger, he chooses the latter. We see this when he curses Preeti to marry someone of her father’s choice.
The journey of denial
Until his breakup with Preeti, he thinks he can solve every problem and issue in his life through anger. However, he gets the biggest shock of his life when he fails to convince her parents through his anger. Unable to accept his defeat, he embarks on a self-destructive journey. When that doesn’t help, he tries to fix himself by having relationships with other women.
Nothing helps him in his denial phase and he is constantly troubled by the consequences of his past actions. Since you watch the film from his perspective, you see his stubbornness but by being a little empathetic you will also be able to see what he is not able to do. The world he creates around him, his room which is nothing less than a donkey, being a complete alcoholic and drug addict forces him to live the life of a big failure. There comes a time when his grandmother, who is closest to him in the family, refuses to go and meet him because she cannot see him in that state. Now imagine a situation where even the closest person in your life cannot be there for you. Isn’t that the consequence of your actions? Yes, his best friend Shiva stays with him even in his worst phase but that is because he can see a little light in him.
The light within Kabir Singh during his darkest phase
If one’s bad deeds at the best of times in his life can destroy his destiny, his good deeds at the worst of times can also help him revive it. Kabir moves from the denial stage to confession when he admits his guilt of performing the surgery in a drunken state. Even when he gets the support of his family and lawyer, he decides to speak the truth and accepts the consequences of his actions. A boy who used to get angry at every little thing, receives multiple slaps from his short-tempered brother. He rejects his best friend’s proposal to marry his sister because he is not the right guy for her and is even thrown out of his room. He accepts the life his actions chose for him and just then he gets another shock of his life. His grandmother passes away.
Losing her grandmother changed her
By this stage, he has already accepted his fate, but when he hears the news of his grandmother’s demise, it becomes a life-changing turning point in his life. Remember, a bus passes by the road making a loud noise when Shiv delivers the bad news. This was probably a creative decision to explain the impact it has on Kabir. It is only after his grandmother’s demise that Kabir decides to give up his bad habits and change his life for the better.
Meeting Preeti again
The ups and downs that he has been on in the last few months have completely changed his life. He is no longer an impulsive guy and this is also evident when he sees Preeti again but doesn’t approach her immediately. He sees that she is expecting a baby but is not happy, he walks back from the park where he saw her, spends time thinking about her, and then after a few days decides that he is going to propose to her.
A section of the audience had issues with Preeti accepting him back. But it’s like a person cannot live his life happily even after going to jail for a crime he committed. By this point, Kabir has survived the hell that was the result of his past deeds. He came out of it even stronger and promised to leave his bad habits behind and start afresh. So it’s only fair to give him another chance at life. Isn’t it?
conclusion
The entire analysis concludes that initially Kabir Singh was a character who had many negative qualities but also some positive ones. While he had to face the consequences of his bad deeds, his positive side also helped him to get a better life.
Disclaimer: If you know someone who is struggling with alcohol or substance abuse, please contact the authorities and report it. There are many helplines available for this.
