Shahid Kapoor gave one of his career-defining performances with Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Kabir Singh. However, the film sparked more widespread debate about the film’s potential influence and impact on society. Recently, Shahid Kapoor addressed those debates and shared that he does not ‘judge’ the characters he plays. He admitted that many of Kabir Singh’s actions were ‘unacceptable’, but people like him exist, and girls fall in love with them, so why make a film on it.
In a candid interview on The Faye D’Souza Show, the actor admitted that Kabir Singh had a flawed personality and many of the things he did were ‘unacceptable’. But, he shared how there are such people in the society, and just like in the movies, girls fall in love with them, so the audience can decide to praise or criticize them.
He said, “I will not accept such a boy, but do such boys exist? Do such girls fall in love with such boys? Yes, they do, so why can’t we make a film on it? You Go away, and you decide what you like and what you don’t, it’s really up to you as a viewer.”
Kapoor advocated freedom of storytelling and said that films cannot be made just on good or ideal characters or situations. The Jab We Met actor said that they are meant to reflect life in which the good and evil of the characters exist. As a result, audiences of the film will have to decide what they take away from it.
He also highlighted the role of film certification in guiding viewership for children and adults. He said, “My job is to present the character authentically, not to judge them or dictate what the audience should think.”
Shahid also said that actors playing different characters cannot be responsible for what the audience thinks about their characters. He said, “If someone watches Kabir Singh and says, ‘I never want to know anyone like that,’ then that’s fine. But if someone thinks that this is true love, that’s their perspective. You are the artist. “Can’t blame how the audience chooses to interpret a story.”
The actor also mentioned the dual nature of some actors who play ideal characters on screen and have opposite personalities in real life. Kapoor acknowledged that as an individual he is responsible for his family and children. He doesn’t want them to see in him a person who does all the wrong things; Rather, he wants them to see him doing the right thing as a husband, father, son and so he is working to become better at it.
Also read: When Shahid Kapoor thought he had to ‘save’ 21-year-old Mira Rajput from the ‘big bad world of films’ after marriage
