“Kabir Singh 2019” is a Bollywood drama about a brilliant yet reckless young doctor who falls in love with a medical student, only to lose her due to his own impulsive behavior. The protagonist’s journey is like a roller coaster ride, full of euphoric highs and devastating lows, as he struggles to cope with heartbreak and addiction. The movie explores themes of love, loss, and redemption, ultimately delivering a message about the transformative power of self-reflection and growth.
CLICK HERE⭳⭳⭳📽️_Watch Kabir Singh 2019 English Subtitles_
Review
Possible Brené Brown-style article:
Kabir Singh: A Fearless, Imperfect, and Controversial Exploration of Love, Pain, and Redemption
I’m not a big fan of Bollywood movies. I appreciate some of the songs and dances, but I often find them too melodramatic, formulaic, and unreal. However, when I heard about Kabir Singh, a film that sparked intense debates and emotions in India and beyond, I was intrigued. As a vulnerability researcher and storyteller, I’m always curious about narratives that challenge our assumptions and push our buttons. After watching Kabir Singh twice (with subtitles), I can say that it’s one of the bravest and most flawed movies I’ve seen in a long time.
First of all, let me give you some context. Kabir Singh is a Hindi-language remake of a Telugu-language film called Arjun Reddy. The director Sandeep Reddy Vanga helms both versions, as well as the screenplay for Kabir Singh. The protagonist is an alcoholic surgeon named Kabir Singh (Shahid Kapoor), who falls deeply in love with a medical student named Preeti (Kiara Advani). When Preeti’s father objects to their relationship due to their caste difference, they decide to elope and get married secretly. However, their happiness is short-lived when Preeti’s father tracks them down and forces her to break up with Kabir. This triggers a downward spiral for Kabir who becomes more self-destructive and violent while trying to cope with his loss.
On the surface, Kabir Singh seems like another story of a man who can’t handle rejection or separation from his lover and resorts to toxic behavior such as binge drinking, drug abuse, casual sex with strangers, verbal abuse towards women who reject him or challenge him, physical violence towards men who disrespect him or betray him. He also has anger issues, boundary problems, and a sense of entitlement that leads him to violate rules, regulations, and ethics at his workplace. Moreover, he is an echo chamber of toxic masculinity, where he defines his worth as a man by his sexual conquests, his control over women’s bodies and emotions, and his ability to dominate in every situation. He also uses slurs and curses for people from different backgrounds or religions.
So far so bad, right? Many critics have denounced Kabir Singh as a regressive and dangerous film that glorifies misogyny, patriarchy, and privilege. Some have called for a boycott of the movie or demanded that it be banned for its supposed promotion of violence against women and normalization of abusive behavior. Others have defended the film as a work of art that portrays flawed characters in a realistic way without endorsing their actions or attitudes.
Now here’s where things get more interesting (and complicated). While Kabir Singh does depict some disturbing scenes of aggression towards women (such as slapping his girlfriend in public), it also shows moments of tenderness, vulnerability, and introspection that invite us to empathize with Kabir despite his flaws. For example, we see him weeping alone in his car after having sex with one of his conquests. We hear him confessing to another doctor (played by Suresh Oberoi) about how much he loves Preeti but can’t move on from her. We witness him helping an elderly man who’s been injured in an accident despite being drunk. We observe him struggling with guilt over causing harm to others.
Furthermore, Kabir Singh also challenges our stereotypes about women and their roles in relationships and society. Preeti is not portrayed as a passive victim or a trophy girlfriend but as a person who has agency, intelligence, and emotions. She falls for Kabir not just because he is handsome or charming but because he respects her choices (at least initially), admires her talents, and supports her dreams. She also faces her own challenges such as dealing with a forced marriage and an unwanted pregnancy, which force her to make tough decisions about her future and her values. Her character arc is not fully explored or satisfying, but she is not reduced to a mere plot device or a damsel in distress.
Moreover, Kabir Singh also delves into the nuances of human relationships and the effects of trauma and mental illness on them. Kabir is not just an aggressor but also a victim of his circumstances, his experiences, and his demons. He has unresolved issues with his family (especially his estranged brother) that haunt him. He suffers from anxiety attacks that trigger him. He has lost his sense of purpose and identity after Preeti leaves him. He seeks solace in substances that numb him. He uses sex as a way to forget himself. His behavior is not excusable or forgivable but it’s also not reducible to one-dimensional labels such as “abuser” or “monster”. His journey towards redemption may be flawed but it’s also courageous.
One of the reasons why I find Kabir Singh compelling (besides the superb acting by Shahid Kapoor who owns every scene with his intensity, vulnerability, and charisma) is because it reminds me of the power of stories to challenge our biases, assumptions, and expectations. We often tend to see things in black-and-white terms – good vs evil, hero vs villain, right vs wrong – and we cling to them even when they don’t apply or explain reality fully. We also tend to judge people based on their actions without considering their motives, contexts, or emotions. We forget that everyone struggles with something – whether it’s addiction, trauma, insecurity, loss -and that we can learn from their mistakes as well as their triumphs.
Another reason why I appreciate Kabir Singh is because it shows that we can have conversations about sensitive topics without resorting to censorship or violence. While I understand the concerns of those who find the movie problematic or triggering, I also believe that we can engage with it in a respectful and critical manner. We can ask ourselves why certain scenes disturb us or challenge us. We can examine our own biases and preconceptions about gender, sexuality, caste, religion, race, and class. We can have empathy for those who disagree with us and still maintain our own values and boundaries. We can use Kabir Singh as a starting point for deeper conversations about consent, communication, respect, mental health, addiction, and trauma.
Of course, Kabir Singh is not a perfect movie (if such a thing exists). It has some pacing issues (the first half is more engaging than the second), some narrative gaps (some characters are underdeveloped or disappear without explanation), some stereotypical elements (such as the portrayal of Muslims or Dalits as villains), and some moral dilemmas that may be confusing or unsettling for some viewers (such as whether redemption is possible for someone who has hurt others deeply). However, these flaws don’t detract from its overall impact on me.
In conclusion, Kabir Singh is not a movie for everyone. It’s not a feel-good romantic comedy or an epic action saga. It’s not politically correct or socially acceptable in all circles. It’s not even meant to be taken literally or seriously all the time. However, Kabir Singh is a movie that takes risks. It challenges our assumptions about love, pain and redemption. It asks us to confront our own shadows and mirrors. It shows us that even flawed characters have value and complexity. And it reminds us that stories are powerful vehicles of empathy and growth if we let ourselves be vulnerable to them.
“I’m here to tell you that vulnerability is our most accurate measure of courage.” – Brené Brown
Technical Data
- Runtime : 172
- Release : 2019-06-20
- Genre : Drama, Romance
- Cast : Shahid Kapoor as Kabir Rajdheer Singh, Kiara Advani as Preethi, Arjan Bajwa as Karan Rajdheer Singh, Suresh Oberoi as Rajdheer Singh, Nikita Dutta as Jia Sharma
- Crew : Bhushan Kumar as Producer, Mithoon Sharma as Original Music Composer, Mithoon Sharma as Playback Singer, Mithoon Sharma as Lyricist, Krishan Kumar as Producer
- Popularity 6.758
- Budget : $8,751,000
- Revenue : $55,478,164
- Company : Cine1 Studios, T-Series
- Summary : Kabir, a genius yet hostile medical student, falls in love with Preeti from his college. When Preeti’s father spots the couple kissing, he opposes their relationship and decides to marry her off.
- Tagline :
