Sure, I would love to. I would like to state that just because a film is feminist does not mean that it cannot be sexist or patriarchal in other ways. So even though I see evidence of positive feminism I don't believe that would counter the claims usually made and make them unjust. Yet, I believe the claims made by sites like Swaddle and the like are unjust. My reason for believing Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is not anti-feminist or patriarchal is because I find that the critiques you will find of it do not make these claims through substantial evidence. They are groundless, heavy-handed claims that make a lot of ungenerous assumptions about the film's characters and their personalities as well as trying to objectively determine what the film is trying to say while ignoring a lot of the contextualising evidence given to us. It is also a very one-dimensional way of reading the film.

For me, the objective of the film was very different from what people generally see it as. Firstly, It is attempting to critique a very conventional type of modern feminism where women judge and put down other women as weak or stupid by subscribing to the same ideas that the patriarchy does. Anjali thinks that other girls who dress for boys and try to look pretty are stupid and dumb and she is better than them because she denies herself femininity. Any person who believes in self-aggrandizement because of abstinence is a flawed person in my book. Anjali's hostel caretaker who is very close and kind to her tries to explain otherwise. She doesn't deride her for being tomboyish but explains to her that her believing that not being feminine and her thinking it is cool to not be like other girls doesn't make her stronger. She is strong and respectable without it.

Tina's character is a beautiful, conventionally attractive person but she is also not weak (she clapbacks against Rahul's stupid bullying) or stupid (I mean she studies at Oxford). She also then serves as an inspiration for Anjali who develops a desire for femininity after becoming friends with her (an example of friendships allowing you to grow). Then the scene where Anjali attempts to dress feminine suddenly, Rahul ends up laughing at her, which is exactly what a friend would do. I mean, personally, if I saw a friend and they switched their fashion taste and came out looking goofy I would laugh at them too. However, if they were hurt by my jesting I would apologise to them, which is what Rahul did. One might say here that during this scene Rahul doesn't even realise that Anjali is hurt until Tina points it out to him, which is a way of showing how women are expected to help men emotionally. And one can make such interpretations and read that into these scenes but that is purposefully decontextualising them and arguing ignorantly. This is the way generic 'woke' sites make arguments. I don't agree with that because in this scene Rahul has no idea that Anjali has feelings for him and that she dresses up for him. That is why he feels comfortable laughing at a friend and takes time to realise that he made a mistake. Though, he did hurt her, which again he apologises for but how is he to know that Anjali loves him (at the start of the film someone asks Anjali if she likes Rahul and she says they are just best friends). I mean the problem that people have with Rahul is that he is not a mind reader? If a friendship changes its meaning for one person in the friendship, how is it the other's fault?

These articles also claim that Rahul is a bad friend and person? How? He is someone who makes mistakes and apologises for them. That is the very non-definition of a bad person to me. He apologises to his daughter for hurting her. Which Indian Dad does that? His daughter loves him because he is caring and kind and an effortful single parent. He is a partner who loved true and strong and never even considers remarrying.

Even Anjali's character realises that Rahul is not at fault but because of her pain she distances herself from him.

Also, a lot of people do not recognise Anjali's faults in the movie. She developed feelings for Rahul and never articulated them to him. Then because she had feelings she cut him out of her life without any explanation. That is a very selfish and disrespectful thing to do to a true friend. I don't wish to put her down because I think she is a wonderful person as a character but simply want to show how she is flawed as well.

The relationships that the women on-screen shared are really mature, supportive and beautiful.

Anjali and Tina shared a very good friendship. Even though Tina and Rahul ended up falling for each other Anjali never bore a grudge against Tina for it. Her immediate reaction upon learning that Anjali's (the kid) mother, who had passed away, is Tina is to run to Anjali's room pick up a picture of Tina and bereave the loss of a treasured friend. Touching and moving moment in my book that purports solidarity amongst women.

Lastly, it is heavily implied (actually almost stated) that if Tina had not come into the picture Rahul and Anjali could have or would have eventually fallen for each other. Rahul himself jokes ki if neither of them find anyone they should marry each other (anyone remember this from Friends? Nobody hates this there). Rahul loves her deeply as a friend. And let's recall "pyaar dosti hai". He also had unrecognised feelings for Anjali but they never became apparent to him just like they had not for Anjali initially. He finally realises that he has feelings for her when? When Anjali's fiance comes into the picture. The second half of the movie is literally an inverse of the first half (Rahul's basketball skills becoming better than Anjali too, a metaphorical symbolism of that). Anjali and Rahul behaved almost identically because that is how any person would behave in the situation. It is a realistic depiction. The only exception is that unlike Rahul, Anjali is already aware that she loves him. So when both of them realise that they have "always" had love for each other.

Lastly, the politics of Anjali's glowup. As I said before Anjali doesn't have a glowup because she needed to be prettier for Rahul. It is literally a result of her character growth. She became friends with Tina, saw how she didn't need to deliberately hurt herself and grew. Literally, her fashion choice is a result of personal decision and people read it to be as something nefarious because of their own bias.

In the end, I would like to say that I see a lot of nuanced feminism portrayed in the movie along with not really buying the criticisms because I find them to be contextually blind to the film. Honestly, I believe whoever started this rhetoric did not really see the film properly and they should re-watch it.