Taapsee Pannu on Shahid Kapoor’s Kabir Singh: ‘Problem is not flawed characters, problem is when you glorify them’

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Actor Taapsee Pannu recently found herself in controversy over a tweet targeting Shahid Kapoor’s blockbuster Kabir Singh and its director Sandeep Reddy Vanga while citing a murder. Now, in an interview, Taapsee has shared her views on the film.

Shahid, Kiara visit theatre to gauge audience reaction to Kabir SinghActor Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani visited a theatre in Mumbai to gauge audience reaction to their movie Kabir Singh. Shahid and Kiara have been promoting their film which released on June 21. The actors met fans inside the cinema hall.

The film — panned for promoting misogyny and toxic masculinity — is the biggest hit of 2019 and has received a warm reception from the audience. “Kabir Singh and Arjun Reddy are not the only films glorifying misogyny, there are several others too but not to this extent. That is one of the reasons why I do the kind of films I do, there should be a counter narrative too. I know I’ll never be able to match up to the numbers of this film but that won’t deter me. We are on the cusp of a change and I am not going to give up now,” she told Mumbai Mirror in an interview.

“The problem is not showing flawed characters… The problem is when you glorify them and make what they are doing seem heroic. This character is so revered that whatever he does is not just accepted, it is celebrated,” she added.

Asked if she thinks the audience would be equally accepting of a “female Kabir Singh”, she said, “She was probably not a female Kabir Singh, but Manmarziyaan’s Rumi Bagga was a flawed character too, and ended up losing her love and getting divorced. The same misogynist people who didn’t see a problem with Kabir, booed Rumi. We aren’t oblivious to the double standards of our society.”

Taapsee, who was last seen in Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Badla, is now gearing up for the release of the ambitious project, Mission Mangal. Directed by Jagan Shakti, the film tells the story of India’s mission to Mars. She plays a scientist in the film that also stars Vidya Balan, Akshay Kumar, Kriti Kulhari and Sharman Joshi.

She will also be soon seen in Saand Ki Aankh, where she plays an elderly shooter from Uttar Pradesh. It is the story of oldest women shooters in India, Chandro and Prakashi Tomar and their fight against patriarchy in the journey. The film also stars Bhumi Pednekar and Vineet Kumar Singh.