Adil Hussain has once again opened up about his discomfort over appearing in the 2019 hit Kabir Singh, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani. While the film shattered box office records, it also became one of Bollywood’s most controversial releases, criticised for glorifying toxic masculinity and misogyny.
In a recent interview with Mid-Day, the actor revisited why he wishes he hadn’t signed the project. “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. Hoping to turn down the offer, Adil revealed that he even asked his manager to quote five times his usual fee — expecting the producers to back off. “But they agreed,” he added.
Hussain eventually came on board after reading one particular scene that he found “brilliantly written”. Yet, when he finally saw the finished film, his reaction was starkly different. “I found it misogynistic. When I saw the film, I thought, ‘What have I done?’” he admitted. “It’s not about what Sandeep Reddy Vanga has done — it’s my responsibility. I could have said no. Several women friends expressed disappointment. It was important for me to say I regret doing that film,” he added.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga's thoughts on this
This isn’t the first time Hussain has spoken about his regret. After his earlier remarks in 2019, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga had hit back on social media, writing, “Ur ‘belief’ in 30 art films didn’t get as much fame to u as ur ‘regret’ of 1 BLOCKBUSTER film did… I regret casting u, knowing that ur greed is bigger than ur passion. NOW I’ll save u from the shame by replacing ur face with AI help. Now smile properly.”
{{/usCountry}}This isn’t the first time Hussain has spoken about his regret. After his earlier remarks in 2019, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga had hit back on social media, writing, “Ur ‘belief’ in 30 art films didn’t get as much fame to u as ur ‘regret’ of 1 BLOCKBUSTER film did… I regret casting u, knowing that ur greed is bigger than ur passion. NOW I’ll save u from the shame by replacing ur face with AI help. Now smile properly.”
{{/usCountry}}With over four decades in the industry and a reputation built on films like Mukti Bhawan (2016) and Life of Pi (2012), Hussain’s association with Kabir Singh remains one of the rare choices he wishes he could undo.