With movies like ‘Kabir Singh’ and ‘Animal,’ filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga is often regarded as one of the most controversial personalities in the industry. He left the world divided into two parts; there is a segment that supports and appreciates his storytelling and craft, while there’s another that condemns the filmmaker for the raw toxicity of his movies. Veteran actor Pankaj Kapur seemingly falls in the first category, as in his recent interview, he stated that his son Shahid Kapoor did a good job in ‘Kabir Singh’ and the movie only showed what is already part of society.
Pankaj Kapur says toxic masculinity exists in society
Released in 2019, despite the criticism, ‘Kabir Singh’ was one of the most successful movies of the year. Recently, when Pankaj Kapur was questioned about the film and Shahid’s work in it during his interview with Lallantop, the actor appreciated his son. Further, when asked about his take on the flak the movie received on showcasing toxic masculinity, Pankaj Kapur replied, “That is okay because it doesn’t mean that toxic masculinity doesn’t exist. It exists in society, and because somebody made a film on it, we started objecting to it. This is our own outlook.”Further, he shared how the rawness and reality of the movie and Shahid’s character established a connection. “Films show the world as it is — not as we wish it to be. Kabir Singh showed a flawed man, but that’s what makes it compelling,” he said.
Pankak Kapur says Vishal Bhardwaj unlocked Shahid Kapoor’s real talent
In the same interview, the actor also spoke about Shahid’s other characters and movies. He appreciated how Shahid made his place in the industry at a young age, and then with every project, he shone. He mentioned and applauded his work in ‘Farzi’ and ‘Haidar.’ And while speaking of ‘Haidar’, the actor mentioned that he always knew the genre drama was Shahid’s actual calling, and it was only Vishal Bhardwaj who tapped into that.“For a long time, I used to tell him and others that his main potential is drama and that nobody has tapped it. He was getting only sweet boy roles. It was tapped by Vishal Bhardwaj. These films have a big role in bringing forth the actor inside Shahid later. Shahid also became intelligent about which films to do and which not to do. He performed brilliantly in Haider, but he also performed wonderfully in Farzi,” he said.Pankaj Kapur, who himself is an established actor, revealed he didn’t train Shahid ever, except for one time, when they did a small workshop. He revealed that Shahid was associated with Naseerudin Shah and attended his workshop in Delhi.
