The Hindi remake of Telugu blockbuster Arjun Reddy, Kabir Singh, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani has hit the theaters today. Vijay Deverakonda, who essayed the titular role in the original film,has set the bar high for Shahid with his impeccable performance. Kabir Singh the film is the same film as Arjun Reddy. It is the same story, the same dialogues, the same character, the same. So if you have seen Arjun Reddy, you would know that Shahid Kapoor is merely play-acting, trying to do a Vijay Deverakonda. Shahid tries so hard to be Vijay Deverakonda that Kabir Singh loses himself after the first few scenes. So what did Sandeep Reddy Vanga and this entire cast and crew do with Kabir Singh? That’s a question we don’t yet have an answer to.
The entire film, just like the original, is dependent on and propelled by the performance of the star at the centre. And however good Shahid Kapoor might be in living the trauma and angst of the character, you still can’t get away from the sickening male entitlement.
Instead, Kabir Singh actually applauds its pathetic protagonist, and ends up an obnoxious celebration of toxic masculinity. Shahid Kapoor stretches himself very thin indeed in trying to convince us that Kabir Singh is a present-day incarnation of Devdas that we should shed tears for. But the man he portrays does not suffer quite as irreversibly as the classic tragic hero did. But he raves and rants through his ordeal and would have us believe that he is more sinned against than sinning. The back ground score and music complement the situations and mood of the film. ‘Bekhyali’ and ‘Tujhe kitna chahne lage’ stand out.
Shahid Kapoor plays Kabir with grim-eyed determination and visible energy, but he is already a bit too old for the part (he is 38). Kapoor’s trademark boyishness has been cruelly tempered by age.
Kiara Advani does her best to rustle up some chemistry with Kabir, but her Preeti remains the most uninteresting part of the puzzle. Several other members of the supporting cast, including Suresh Oberoi as Kabir’s stern father and Kamini Kaushal as his understanding grandmother, acquit themselves honourably. But this saga of falling and failing in love is mostly a one-person show led by an actor who is willing – but not always able – to carry it through.
All the best for “KABIR SINGH” ALIAS “ARJUN REDDY”.
Overall, the film is engaging and worth a watch.
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