Recently TikTok star Johnny Dada aka Ashwani Kumar’s went on a killing spree. He used to also post Kabir Singh related content on the platform - a fact that has triggered much discourse about the cultural impact of cinema on people. Now, Kabir Singh director Sandeep Vanga has defended his film for allegedly influencing Kumar.
33-Year-Old Ashwini Kashyap from UP’s Bijnor killed 3 people before shooting himself on 5 October.
Speaking to Midday, the filmmaker said that he felt sorry for the girl who was murdered. He further added that while he understands that filmmakers must take reponsibility for their work, he still doesn’t believe his films have ever endorsed the idea of killing someone. He said that neither Kabir Singh nor Arjun Reddy supported murder.
33-Year-Old Ashwini Kashyap from UP's Bijnor killed 3 people before shooting himself on 5 October. Kashyap aka Johnny Dada was known as 'TikTok Villain' for his angry videos on the platform. He also used to share photo of Shahid Kapoor from Kabir Singh. In one of his Tik Tok videos, Kumar allegedly mouthed a dialogue from Kabir Singh, “Jo mera nahin ho sakta, usse kisi aur ke hone ka mauka nahin doonga. (If someone can’t be mine, I won’t let them belong to anyone else)“
After its release, Kabir Singh was heavily criticised for its toxic portrayal of love, normalisation of physical abuse, and overall misogyny.
After its release, Kabir Singh was heavily criticised for its toxic portrayal of love, normalisation of physical abuse, and overall misogyny. In an interview published on Film Companion’s YouTube channel on 5 July, film critic Anupama Chopra questioned Sandeep Vanga on the criticism that his film Kabir Singh had been facing. Vanga responded that when you question people’s belief systems, they get angry. “I feel all the criticism the film faced is pseudo. When you are deeply in love there is honesty in the relationship. If you don’t have the liberty of slapping each other, I don’t see anything in that relation.”
(With inputs from Midday)
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