📌 Key Points
- Sooraj Barjatya sees similarities between his ‘Prem’ characters and modern ‘alpha male’ figures like Kabir Singh.
- Barjatya emphasizes the ‘power of love’ as a core element in all his protagonists, despite differing expressions.
- He addresses criticisms about his films portraying an unrealistic world, asserting that such men still exist.
- Kabir Singh was a massive hit, becoming the highest-grossing romantic film before being surpassed by Saiyaara.
Sooraj Barjatya draws parallels between his idealistic romantic heroes and the ‘alpha male’ figures seen in films like ‘Kabir Singh’ and ‘Animal’. He defends the enduring relevance of his characters, emphasizing the central role of love and values.
Barjatya on Alpha Males and the Power of Love
It is the era of alpha males on screen, many Indian film viewers have noted. What began with Kabir Singh has only been emboldened of late by hypermasculine, aggressive men, even in love stories. This has led many with rose-tinted glasses to hark back to a time when romantic leads in Hindi films were sensitive, and the protagonists of Sooraj Barjatya films – from Vivaah to Hum Aapke Hain Koun – are among those cited as examples of ‘ideal’ men. But the filmmaker himself feels that his Prem (the name he used for all his protagonists) is not much different from Kabir Singh.
He describes the lead in Sangamarmar as a romantic. “He waits for the woman for 25 years even as she is taking care of her responsibilities,” says Barjatya. Having created several such men who don’t bat an eyelid in going against the conventional ideas of machismo, Barjatya says he is often called out for not showing the truth.
Prem vs. Kabir Singh: More Alike Than We Think?
He shares with a laugh, “Every two to three weeks, people tell me such a world does not exist. Don’t give us this wrong hope. Girls tell me that their parents want this sort of guy for them, and yeh banne band ho gaye hain (These don’t exist anymore). But I say jitne pehle the aaj bhi hain (they exist today too). You just have to find them.”
Barjatya adds, “All of them have come through the journeys of their soul. They have their own upbringing and values. But essentially, it is the power of love. I feel they are two sides of the same coin.”
The Enduring Appeal of Barjatya’s Romantic Heroes
Kabir Singh starred Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani. The Sandeep Reddy Vanga film, a remake of the filmmaker’s Telugu hit Arjun Reddy, was the highest-grossing romantic film in Indian cinema till Saiyaara overtook it last year. Animal starred Ranbir Kapoor in the lead, and was one of the highest-grossing Indian films of 2023, grossing ₹ 900 crore.
Barjatya’s perspective offers a unique lens on the evolution of romantic heroes in Indian cinema. He suggests that despite differing portrayals, the underlying theme of love remains a constant, connecting classic and contemporary characters alike.
