Kunal Kapoor talks about bullying

Kunal Kapoor, who plays a teacher in his forthcoming film Nobleman, says that the film is a thematic representation of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. “It is a story about the oppressed versus the oppressor. The subject deals with bullying and masculinity,” he reveals.

Kunal may have not been bullied during his own school and college days, but he feels that the subject still needs to be addressed. “I was lucky I was not subjected to bullying in school. I was generally popular. I was captain of the school and I also headed the drama team. So, I may say I was a descent guy. Then kids never bullied each other much,” he says.

He adds that while bullying was not as rampant during his time, “Nowadays kids have access to different technology and information, so the bond has changed owing to the advent of technology. Though, the kids also learn so much through this access of technology.”

Elaborating with an example, he says, “One of my cousins in Delhi who was overweight had such a hard time, he had to reach school half an hour before all other children, and he also left early. All this because he was body shamed and commented upon wrongly. I feel the psyche of human beings, while trying to put forth destructive comments on a personal level and social media, needs to be addressed,” he opines.

Kunal concludes that destructive comments on social media are often faceless. “This definitely needs to be addressed,” he says.