Parvathy Slamming Arjun Reddy And Deepika Supporting Her Is A Win For Feminism
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When the movie Kabir Singh was released, it made a splash at the box office. Kabir Singh is a remake of Telugu blockbuster, Arjun Reddy that also made waves at the box office. However, despite the success of both films, many people have criticized the director for the misogynistic film leads. Brought to life on screen by Shahid Kapoor in the Bollywood version and by Vijay Deverakonda in the Tollywood version, the actors were also met with mixed criticism. However, their performances were praised for being hardcore and aggressive as well as slightly vulnerable (In Arjun Reddy’s case). Despite the hate, both movies have surpassed the box office expectations and have made a lot of people very rich. Recently, on a panel discussion with famed movie critic Anupama Chopra, the movies were brought up once again. Read on to find out exactly what went down during the panel discussion.
In This Article
The Panel Discussion
The talk featured guests from various parts of the film industry. Stars included Ayushmann Khurrana, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Manoj Bajpai, Parvathy, Vijay Deverakonda and Vijay Sethupathi. The stars spoke candidly about their roles as actors and how it was their responsibility to not make or act in films which set a bad example for the public.
While speaking about this topic, prominent South Indian film actress Parvathy openly spoke about how Vijay Deverakonda’s film, Arjun Reddy. She pointed out that it was problematic as it clearly featured an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. Slamming the movie for its portrayal of problematic behavior like couples hitting each other, Parvathy spoke about how the film glorified abuse. She talked about the kind of conditioning involved in films like these and how it can have a significant impact on the audience that views it. Her words came from a personal place as she has opened up about being in an abusive relationship with someone in the past. She spoke about how the film tries to justify bad behavior and that it is not an excuse.
Drawing comparison with Hollywood box office blockbuster Joker, she spoke about how you don’t watch the movie and root for the main character. She talked about how Joker just put facts forward and expected the audience to perceive it in their own way, unlike Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh.
Vijay Deverakonda, however, took to defend the film by dissociating the filmy world from reality and spoke about how he doesn’t believe in taking on “social responsibility” and claims that it is too much responsibility to take on. According to Vijay, “Just a film doesn’t define your behavior.” Adding to his comments, he spoke about how there might be a couple out there who is so madly in love that they give each other “hits and stuff”, and they understand and are still completely in love. Defending his stance, the actor stated he couldn’t make a film that pleases everyone. Manoj Bajpayee of Gangs Of Wasseypur fame came forward to support Vijay’s position and added his own tidbits into the matter.
Deepika’s Reaction
While initially staying mum throughout the argument, Deepika seemed to cast disapproving gazes to her fellow couch sharers, Vijay and Manoj and eventually couldn’t hold herself back. Known for being extremely diplomatic and the opposite of controversial, the Tamasha actress cradled her mug of coffee while listening intently to what both the actors were stating. Not holding back any further, Deepika cast her opinion on the matter into the room.
She spoke about how cinema does have the power to influence the mindsets of its audience and compared it to the cult following that cricket too has. She brought up that it might not be the only influencing factor but that you cannot deny its impacts. According to Deepika, whether they like it or not, cricket and cinema are the two most influential things in India. She continued that while it is an individual choice, they, as actors, have to be aware of what they are putting out into the public. She believes that since they have been provided with the platform to put out their work, they cannot deny the fact that cinema has a massive impact on society.
Final Take
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Given the fragility of the situation, Anupama and later Ranveer Singh were quick to change the topic and add humor to the situation to diffuse the tension present in the room. We are here for the girl power and applaud both Parvathy and Deepika for shutting down any offensive comments and discussing such a controversial topic so candidly. While the movies might have been box office hits, there’s no denying that like many other movies, it can incite copycat violence or encourage abusive relationships amongst a younger audience. On the other hand, we, as an audience, need to learn how to separate the real world from the reel world and stop taking everything we see on screen as an accurate portrayal of reality.
