Cinema not about wonderful, perfect people: Shahid on toxic masculinity in 'Kabir Singh'

Actor Shahid Kapoor Monday said his film "Kabir Singh" portrays a flawed man with all honesty and if the audience only wants to watch nice characters, cinema won't go far.

"Kabir Singh" is the remake of the Telugu hit "Arjun Reddy", directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who has also helmed the Hindi version.

While the film became a rage quickly after its release in 2017, it was criticised for glorifying toxic masculinity and for using anger as a tool to justify the titular character's abuse of women and people around him.

When asked if the criticism played on his mind before he started with the Hindi film, the director told reporters, "Anger is a very special quality. There is nothing wrong in using anger as a tool. It can be used in anyway an individual wants. I don't think the opinion of critics, what they mentioned during the Telugu film (was) playing in the back of my mind."

Responding to the criticism, Shahid said sometimes "we are very hypocritical about how we tend to look at cinema