Adil Hussain on regretting his role in Kabir Singh: “I found it misogynistic”

Adil Hussain on regretting his role in Kabir Singh: “I found it misogynistic”

Actor Adil Hussain has once again addressed why he regrets being part of Kabir Singh, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s 2019 blockbuster starring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani. The film, a remake of the Telugu hit Arjun Reddy, became one of the highest-grossing movies of the year but also one of the most polarising, slammed for glorifying toxic masculinity and problematic gender dynamics.

In a new interview with Mid-Day, the 62-year-old actor admitted that he had second thoughts about joining the project even before filming began. “I was travelling extensively with Mukti Bhawan then and didn’t have the time to go through the full script or watch the original Telugu version,” he said. Unsure about taking it on, Adil revealed that he even tried to turn down the offer by asking his manager to quote an “unusually high fee five times my standard rate assuming the producers would walk away. But they agreed.”

Eventually, he signed on after reading one particular scene he thought was “brilliantly written.” But when he finally watched the finished film, his reaction was one of deep unease. “I found it misogynistic. When I saw the film, I thought, ‘What have I done?’” he confessed.

Also Read: Pankaj Dheer’s Prayer Meet to be held on Friday at Mumbai’s ISKCON Temple, Juhu

Adil clarified that his regret wasn’t about blaming the filmmaker but about personal accountability. “It’s not about what Sandeep Reddy Vanga has done — it’s my responsibility. I could have said no,” he said. “Several women friends expressed disappointment. It was important for me to say I regret doing that film.”

The Life of Pi and Ishqiya actor has long championed cinema that “entertains the soul, not just the senses,” and his discomfort with Kabir Singh aligns with that philosophy. His stance reignited memories of a past social-media spat between him and Vanga, when the director claimed that Kabir Singh gave Adil “more visibility than his art films” and even joked about replacing his face with an AI-generated version.

Despite the controversy, Adil has continued to take responsibility for his creative choices. “While Kabir Singh may have been a commercial triumph, for me it remains a creative misstep I wish I had avoided,” he concluded.