Success of 'Kabir Singh': Bollywood romance gets toxic again

Love may be a many splendoured thing in Hindi cinema down the ages but playful stalking, a contradiction in terms really, is often cute and brooding aggression spilling over to violence and self-destruction the hallmark of intense, macho love.

Audiences have loved it all, be it the charming Shammi Kapoor in "An Evening in Paris" or Dharmendra as the lovable Veeru in "Sholay" and more recently Salman Khan in "Tere Naam", Dhanush in "Ranjhanaa" and playing in theatres right now Shahid Kapoor in and as "Kabir Singh" -- all heroes who took the woman's yes as a given and all films that went on to become blockbusters.

With "Kabir Singh", a remake of the Telugu hit "Arjun Reddy", the spotlight is once again on Indian cinema's problematic portrayal of romance and its preoccupation with toxic male heroes.

The film, which triggered a debate on the gender dynamic in Bollywood romances, has been panned by critics as misogynistic for its portrayal of the troubled protagonist, a doctor who spirals into destructive rage when the object of his desire gets married to somebody else.

Notwithstanding the debate it has triggered, the film is close to the Rs 200 crore mark within just two weeks of its release, well on its way to becoming Shahid's highest opener and another mega hit.

Film critic Ajay Brahmatmaj said the film's success should not come as a surprise.

"Kabir Singh is dangerous for society and viewers because it sides with age-old patriarchy and puts a 21st century woman in a cage. It is regretful that all this happens in the garb of a love story."