Bollywood actor, Shahid Kapoor, once again found himself at the centre of controversy, but this time, it’s not for his on-screen roles, but for what he said in a recent interview. The actor has previously received a fair share of criticism following his work in the film, Kabir Singh, as the aggressive and toxic ‘Kabir Singh’. Now, he is once again facing backlash after he talked about vulnerability in men.
In a candid chat with Faye D’Souza, Shahid Kapoor reflected on how Indian men are conditioned to 'be the man,' carrying family burdens. He emphasized that vulnerability is human, regardless of gender, and should be embraced. Talking about flipping gender roles and accepting men’s vulnerability, Shahid said:
“Why can’t we flip roles sometimes? Why can’t men let someone else protect them? We are humans, and it’s only natural to feel vulnerable. Aggression doesn’t attract people the way vulnerability does—it’s the latter that truly connects us… Aggression cannot attract people the way vulnerability does. It’s only human to be vulnerable, so as a man, you should be okay with it.”
The host, Faye D’Souza, shared a snippet of the interview where Shahid talked about the importance of vulnerability in men and posted it on her IG handle. However, coming from Shahid’s mouth, the message received a mixed reaction on social media.
Click here to see the Instagram post.
While Shahid’s message struck a chord with some, the internet was quick to call out what they saw as hypocrisy. Many pointed to his portrayal of 'Kabir Singh', a character criticized for normalizing toxic masculinity and glorifying aggression in relationships.
Reacting to Shahid's comment, a user wrote, “Seriously? The guy who played Kabir Singh is now preaching vulnerability? The irony is off the charts”. One highlighted the damage that Kabir Singh caused to society, saying, “Why has he never apologized for the harm caused by that film? The damage is done; there’s no going back”.
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Shahid’s comments have reopened discussions about the influence of Kabir Singh, a film that divided audiences upon its release romanticising toxic masculinity and problematic behaviours. While Shahid has rarely addressed the backlash, his recent comments seem to have reignited the debate. Some fans have come to Shahid’s defence, arguing that actors shouldn’t be conflated with their roles. One user wrote:
“Reading the comments here and see how people totally misunderstand the human being behind an actor. Kabir Singh is a movie in which the actor played a role. One must commend the actor for being able to convince the public that he was that person, which therefore created all that frenzy. Having said that what lessons one takes from the movie is up to the public. Why are we only seeing the character as being bad influence for society… why can’t the role be seen as an awareness that it brought about that such people actually exist? Shahid Kapoor is an excellent actor. The roles he plays should not define what he is in real life. Hope people just get that. And what he said in the interview is 100% correct.”
What do you think about this turn of events after Shahid Kapoor talked about the importance of normalising men’s vulnerability?
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