Why Fans Love Kabir Singh and Arjun Reddy

With a staggering 10,212 tickets sold within hours of advance booking opening, Animal (2023) marks Sandeep Reddy Vanga's return to the cinemas. A big part of the anticipation for Animal is the success that Arjun Reddy (2017) and its Hindi counterpart Kabir Singh (2019) enjoyed, establishing Vijay Deverakonda and reviving Shahid Kapoor’s career. Considering how Animal is likely to be the biggest opening of Ranbir Kapoor’s career so far, the role of Ranvijay Singh might just be the launchpad the actor needs to achieve lasting superstardom.  

“Vanga knows how to make men look hot, yaar,” said Anuj Singh, who is studying to be a lawyer. “I’m so looking forward to watching Animal because I LOVED Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh.” When asked why they love these characters, they said, “You have to understand how raw this attraction is. When I watched the trailer for Kabir Singh and Shahid (Kapoor) was smoking two cigarettes at the same time and wiping his tears, I was immediately hooked.” After watching Kabir Singh, Anuj found themselves seeking out Arjun Reddy. “I can’t even decide who I am more attracted to, Shahid (Kapoor) or Vijay (Deverakonda)!” they said. 

Enter: The Cool Dude

Nandini S, an assistant director, was also attracted to the character because of how cool the hero looked. She said the first thing she noticed about the poster was, “This super masculine person with a beard and cool sunglasses.” Harshit Dawar, a restaurateur, pointed out, “Wada Wau Wau plays in the trailer and it’s immediately appealing because the background music is so charged. You want to know what is happening and who this person is.” 

At the heart of this lust storm are the charismatic leading men whose smouldering charm earned them a dedicated fan base. In Shahid Kapoor’s case, Kabir Singh gave the actor a makeover that significantly expanded his fan base and made long-standing fans see him in a new light. Amogh Sonawane, a student, said, “I've been a Shahid Kapoor fan since my childhood. The trailer was just so appealing because it didn’t look like a usual romantic story. It was something fresh and raw.” It's not merely the allure of these actors that keeps the flames of fandom burning; it's the characters they embody — flawed, impulsive, and unabashedly full of swag — that have created such a sturdy fanbase even in the face of criticism for its glorification of a rather problematic relationship. Their flawed natures make them attractive to fans of all genders and for many, the heroes’ obvious misogyny is not a turn-off. Instead, it makes him oddly relatable. 

Relatable Content

Anushka Nadkar, a student, said with a laugh, “I relate to the character a little because I’ve been on the grey side on and off.” Aru Agarwal, a designer, said, “Relating to a character like that does not feel the best, but in reality it is very relatable. Some people find Kabir/Arjun attractive and acceptable. At least most of him.” Sankalp Shah, a chartered accountant and restaurateur, said, “If you ask me about my behaviour then I would tell you that I don’t behave like Kabir or Arjun. But, as far as the emotions, passion, and approach to life is concerned, it resonates with me deeply.” Amogh said, “I relate to Kabir because he’s true to his work and true to himself. He has faults, but who doesn’t?” 

As practically every critic has pointed out, Arjun and Kabir embody volatile expressions of toxic masculinity and their romantic relationships are (at best) unhealthy. None of the people we spoke to denied this, but many pointed out that relationships in real life are rarely like what is shown in conventional romantic films. This makes Reddy Vanga’s depictions feel more emotionally relatable. 

Anushka said, “There are very few people in reality who match up to the healthy relationships we see on screens. Most of us in the real world are more likely to deal with a Kabir or Arjun rather than a supposed green flag of a man.” Amogh said, “I have seen people relating to Kabir Singh to a point where they were crying after watching the film.” Nandini said she has frequently encountered individuals akin to Kabir and Arjun, particularly among the men her friends have been involved with. She said, “Violence was a part of romance in their lives.” 

Red Flag, Green Light

Despite being labelled misogynistic, both Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh have an enthusiastic female fan base. Anuj didn’t find this difficult to explain. “Women like bad boys, okay? In fact there was a study done on this and apparently smoking and drinking alcohol makes you attractive. It’s in our biology, it’s science!” Vibhuti Wange, project manager at Amazon Music, said, “There is something inherently attractive about men who are risk takers. They are unafraid and daring. Kabir and Arjun are daring men, and it extends to them being unafraid of showing their emotions.” 

Fans told us they feel enamoured by Arjun and Kabir’s expressions of vulnerability. Sankalp said, “I have always been open to expressing my emotions authentically — much like Arjun and Kabir…whether that is healthy or not is very subjective.” Aru said, “Healthy in my eyes is whatever keeps the person sane and happy which can be different for different people. Both of them (Kabir and Preeti) were happy with each other so I don’t think it is wrong for them.” Kashish, an event management student and content writer, said, “How is your love real when you can’t express your raw feeling in front of your partner? If I don’t like my man speaking ill about himself I would hit him.” 

The fandom didn’t interpret Kabir or Arjun’s violent streak as a red flag because it humanised the character for them. That said, they are not of the belief that one must emulate Kabir or Arjun in their own lives. Kashish said, “If watching Kabir Singh or Arjun Reddy influences your masculinity (makes you act in a certain unacceptable way) then it was already there in your subconscious mind.” Sankalp echoed the sentiment and added, “If such movies are influencing relationships, the problem is the audience and their literacy — the blame should be on the audience.”  

The Flip Side

Part of what makes Kabir and Arjun’s assertions of dominance uncomfortable to many is that the film seems to glorify their attitudes, depicting this as idealised, masculine behaviour and falling into tropes that serve to infantilise women by showing them as characters in need of protection. Kabir and Arjun control who the heroine befriends, what she wears, and even slaps her in moments of rage. However Anushka argued that seeing this behaviour might actually make some people introspect. “If anything these films were like a reality check. I have been rather reckless and aggressive myself so watching that on screen made me want to tone it down,” she said.  

Anuj also shared that a few of their friends came out of these films with a deep realisation of all that they had been inflicting on their partners unintentionally. “Why are we only looking at one side of it? Everyone said it is glorification because the films end with a ‘happily ever after’ for Kabir and Arjun. But at what cost for that man? He’s had to suffer so much. Now you want to quantify his suffering and say he hasn’t suffered enough?” they said. 

Perhaps the most generous and optimistic perspective comes from fans who believe that for those in abusive relationships, Kabir Singh and Arjun Reddy could also be seen as wake-up calls. Anuj said, “If you have come out of these films and thought that this behaviour is unacceptable then you are also lacking empathy for a man who is suffering. I’m not saying he’s doing the right thing, but he’s hurting and we know that hurt people hurt people. He’s troubled re, and a lot of us are.”