Kabir Singh – An Unconventional Story To Understand!!

Toxic masculinity, misogynistic, people will take inspiration from Hero’s role so many things have been said and done. Despite all the opinions, Kabir Singh is still running successfully with good occupancy even on weekdays. So, why does one opt to make a remake? Either the team feels that this story needs to reach a broader (or particular) set of audience or the producer sees an opportunity to mint money banking on the craze for a top hero. Least case is to launch star kids with a well-performed story. Which of the above suits Kabir Singh, the remake of Arjun Reddy? Let’s dive deep into this to understand it.

Disclaimer: The below write-up is what I felt after watching Arjun Reddy & Kabir Singh. You may have different opinions, and that’s completely normal.

First of all, there is no rule book for the cinema to showcase how a character should be and should not be. A Hero role doesn’t mean he is good all the time. There are plenty of movies which had the protagonist as a thief, for instance, our favorite Dhoom series. When we love such movies, there is absolutely no discussion about what the protagonist has done in the film. In the case of Kabir Singh, he has anger management issues. Sandeep Reddy Vanga showcases how violent the protagonist can get with the football match at the beginning, just to use his “anger” multiple times throughout the film. Successful directors always give a glimpse of such things which we fail to understand while watching the movie. I’ve written in detail here. ( Check “The Grit of SS Rajamouli” section).

There was a scene where Kabir Singh asks Preethi the subject and topic of the hour, firstly it was hand, he asks her to come out (not a kidnap, who kidnaps on Bullet? ) so that he can explain and his revision will also be done. Next day the topic was forearm, again he asks her to come out to explain. If this isn’t for Sandeep Reddy and was a typical Indian movie, we should be seeing a foreign location and romantic song in that place. Then comes the next topic, if anyone of you has observed it carefully, as soon as Kabir enters music is stopped, and there is a hesitation on Preethi’s face and a long pause because the topic is apothorax which is the below body part. That was Sandeep Reddy’s way

of giving attention to minute details. This is where the story develops, and Preethi starts liking him back after that incident. Even in the entire song of Pehla Pyaar whenever they meet, the first thing Kabir does is to take the duffle bag off her shoulder. Sandeep indirectly points out the care Kabir has and shows for Preethi. What follows is the mutual love for each other. I feel that there could not have been a smoother transition (from one-side mad love to becoming lovers for a lifetime) than what is shown by Sandeep. When Kabir feels that there is no one to take care of Preethi in girls hostel, he takes her to his room in the boys’ hostel and consequently to a different house as Preethi wasn’t feeling comfortable there either.

Another scene where Kabir Singh smacks Preethi because her father didn’t accept their love proposal. Before that scene, Kabir asks her father on two different occasions with utmost respect, only then he bursts out in anger. When you are dealing with a person who has anger issues, that is exactly how he reacts even after trying to convince multiple times. Nobody will write a scene where he goes begging her father. Similarly, in the maid scene, that wasn’t the first time the glass was broken. In the interval scene as well, director indirectly hints what is going to happen in the next half. He pisses in his trousers falling dead on the bed and camera slows pans up-side down which actually means his life is going to be pissed off and all his aspirations are going to turn upside down. That is when he is habituated to drinking and drugs. If he is really misogynistic, then he must have the issue with all the women, not some. Kabir has two female friends as well, so how can he be misogynistic? To put in simpler words, Kabir Singh is so mad that he wants his girl at any cost (provided she agrees), even if she is married. Sandeep Reddy was true to his story of only showing the love between them instead of prurience. As he said on multiple occasions, there was never a shot of skin show.

To all those “pseudo-ists” out there:

Firstly, there is something called maturity to understand what is wrong and what is correct, be it in real life or reel life. Kabir Singh is an “A” rated film which means only 18 and above are suitable to watch the movie. So, it is expected that each and everyone who watches the movie has the maturity to understand. This is the reason films are given certifications. Secondly, just like how “you” don’t become a Mary Kom or a Phogat Sister after watching movies like Mary Kom & Dangal, it is laughable to think that men will become Kabir Singh after watching it. If Indians are fully-inspired by movies alone, then we should all be saints or criminals, not anything in the middle. As Ashish Chanchlani points it out, the response would be same even if it was portrayed by a woman.

Finishing it off with the best possible description from Shahid Kapoor himself:

Do collections matter? Yes, of course, they are directly proportional to the number of people who are interested in watching a film. Barring the first 3 days of the movie release (collections depend on star hero/heroine’s craze for first three days because of advance bookings), if *any* movie continues to get the same response from the audience on working days then undoubtedly it is the unconditional love from them.

PS: If you can’t understand what’s good in the film Kabir Singh, try to read this 😛

Images: Google Images

2.0 is a Product of Colossal Imagination Cemented With VFX Grandeur – A Must Watch!!

Oh my god, where do I start? I’m still in the trans of the EPIC storytelling. How on earth Shankar can have such a mammoth Imagination. Superlatives apart, what do you do when you like/enjoy a movie or a thing? We usually share it with our friends and family. So, here’s my attempt to share my opinion about India’s most expensive Experience, yup I call it a once a blue moon experience. Calling it simply a movie will surely undermine Shankar’s and the rest of his team’s hard work, passion and most importantly Vision.

Gentle Warning: The below article may or may not contain spoilers, read at your own risk. 😛

 

A movie’s success majorly depends on how entertaining it is, how engaging it can arrest the audience to their seats for little under 3 hrs and to do this a movie surely needs a solid story combined with loopless storytelling. There is no wonder, Shankar has marveled this art with most of his movies, and 2.0 is no different. 2.0 has a simple, engaging, straightforward story which can connect to the audience instantly. Shankar made sure each and every character was introduced in a timely manner, it may be Vennela (Amy Jackson), Dr. Vasi, Chitti, Baddie Bora, 2.0, Birdman and of course you get to hear Aishwarya Rai (Sana). I’d have loved to see Aishwarya Rai sharing the screen but considering the story it was not at all necessary.

After watching part 1, you can’t imagine any other actor enacting the role of Chitti other than the Superstar. And Oh boy, even at 67 he delivers his best performance in not one, not two but Quadrapul roles. Akshay Kumar extends his streak of performing good roles. We get to see Akshay play 2 roles effortlessly. VFX play a major role in Akshay Kumar’s characterization as a Birdman. Akshay Kumar’s introduction scene just before the interval is a scene to watch out for. The back story of Akshay looks a bit boring but that’s the story on which cinema revolves. Salute to the VFX team for top-notch visuals with a limited budget compared to Hollywood biggies. Shankar constantly focuses on the greatness of India by bringing the achievements of ISRO satellites and space research center established by Homi Bhabha in the first half of the movie.

Considering the first part’s humongous climax, expectations were really high about this movie’s climax. Shankar made sure to give a similar kind of experience meeting 70 to 80% of the expectations. Some scenes like Robots turning into a giant sphere were just rehashed from the previous part. Other than that, the last 10 minutes of the film blows your mind with “Chinni version 3.0”.  As I always say, great directors give a small hint which in turn change the course of the movie (Refer to ”The Grit of SS Rajamouli” section in my previous article). Shankar just like his previous movie Shivaji gives a hint of 3.0 before the climax and to be honest I failed to understand.

The film doesn’t have the usual Rajnikant’s swag and style in the first half. Just before I was thinking of this, there comes “Chinni 3.0”, with his matchless swag, style and obviously dialogue delivery. Climax becomes thunderous with the introduction of 3.0 and the movie ends in an unexpected way. All those who expressed mixed feelings about VFX after watching the teaser and trailer will surely change their mind. The best part is Shankar made sure the VFX was not overdone. as they say in corporate – Business requirement, Shankar answer here is VFX is as per Story demands.

Note: Watch it only in 3D to feel the grand experience. Try focussing at the center of the screen to get a 3D feel for the entire movie.

Final Verdict: 2.0 is a Pride of Indian Cinema. Dot. (Read it in Rajnikant’s style after watching the movie)

PS: Loved the way Shankar’s paid respect to each and every technician at the end credits. He clubbed the “Tu Hi re” song with the credits so that we get to know the names of every technician.

PPS: This is solely my opinion and don’t diss me if you haven’t liked the film. After all we are humans with different tastes 😀

Plug: Here’s my Quora answer for a movie seating trick. Try it out and let me know if it works for you: https://qr.ae/TUt1dv

**************FEEDBACK APPRECIATED*******************

Dear Hyderabad Traffic Police, its Time to Revoke Your “No Headphones” Rule.!!

Traffic Police departments of almost all the metros have been showing off their skills lately on social media with their witty posts creating the much-needed awareness in the public. Hyderabad Traffic dept. (HTP “hereafter”) is no different to that. To be honest, currently, HTP is known for the two way communication which includes complaints, suggestions and sarcastic comments between the public and the department. It is very good to see that HTP has started penalizing the Police personnel after receiving the complaints from the common man on the Social Media. Hands down, they are doing their best to bring the awareness in using helmets and seat belts on a daily basis. One such new rule is, it is offensive to use headphones/earphones while driving. I thought to be a fake news when I first got to know about it, as we are habituated to the daily fake propaganda by our media. To my disbelief, HTP has posted the same from their verified handles on both Twitter and Facebook confirming it.

Let’s split this issue into two parts:

  1. The news article and

  2. The post by HTP

Here’s the post from the HTP:

Post

1) News Article

The news article clearly says according to section 184 of the Motor Vehicle Act, the offenders will be punished which may go up to 6 months of jail term. I’m sure 90% of the Traffic Police personnel and public are not sure of what “Section 184” actually states. Let’s dive a little deeper into this:

The Section 184 of Motor Vehicle Act states the following:

Whoever, drives a motor vehicle at a speed or in a manner which is dangerous to
the public, having regard to all the circumstances of case including the nature, condition and
use of the place where the vehicle is driven and the amount of traffic which actually is at the
time or which might reasonably be expected to be in the place, shall be punishable for the first
offence with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may
extend to one thousand rupees, and for any second or subsequent offence if committed
within three years of the commission of a previous similar offence with imprisonment for a
term which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees,
or with both.

Adding to this section, there is a clause which makes things simpler to understand.

The clause states that:

Clause 65 seeks to amend section 184 of the Act in order to enhance penalties for
driving dangerously. It also seeks to insert an explanation giving examples of acts that are
considered driving in a manner dangerous to the public, such as jumping a red light, violating
a stop sign, use of handheld communication devices while driving, passing or overtaking
any motor vehicle in violation of law, etc.

If you are still scratching your head, I’ll make this understand to you and the team at the Hyderabad Traffic Police.. The Section 184 of Motor Vehicle Act as described by the HTP actually states that – “If you are driving in a manner which is considered as “dangerous to the public” by using either a smartphone, smartwatch, earphones, headphones, (insert all handheld devices)” then the traffic people have all the rights to either charge or throw us (Include me, even I use headphones while driving) behind the bars.

2) The post by HTP

Tweet

The post and some parts of the news article conclude that – “usage of headphones may divert the concentration of the driver which will eventually lead to an accident”. It sounds perfect but little do they know is that there are many acts which may divert the driver’s concentration.

Some of them are:

1) Continuous Honking:

These people think traffic will be cleared automatically by honking relentlessly. In fact, there is Section 194F, under which offenders can be booked for unnecessary honks. Dear HTP, I would love to know the stats and penalties imposed under this section. 🙂

2) Rash Driving:

These people just fly in the air. They don’t consider whether it is a school or hospital zone, their only aim is to showcase their “so-called-driving” skills.

3) Potholes:

The lesser we talk about this the best it will be for the public, GHMC and the Govt. I’ve already done a social experiment to showcase the problems on Hyderabad Roads with #ADayOnHyderabadPotholes. Although roads have improved quite a lot after my experiment, there are still innumerable Potholes in Hyderabad.

I can write a separate listicle on various reasons that may divert the driver’s attention and concentration like – Traveling on bad roads, encountering unruly traffic police, children begging on the roads, people not giving way for emergency ambulances, beggars sleeping on footpaths, pedestrians running in the middle of Greenlight, traffic light less roads, Heavy vehicles traveling in non-operating hours and roads and the most important ENDLESS and UNCONTROLLABLE TRAFFIC even after having world class development.

Dear HTP, it would only be genuine for you to tackle all the above-mentioned issues before concentrating on petty issues like “no headphone driving.” I sincerely feel that you don’t behave like Supreme Court in future.

If you still feel that headphone driving causes more accidents then please put out the stats on the number of accidents that have happened with the headphones on. We all would love to know the stats, discuss and then ponder on the emerging issue.

PS: There may be many reasons why we use headphones:

  1. We may use it to talk to family or friends while we go to save time. (There is nothing dangerous in it, we have been doing it for ages)
  2. To listen and drive according to the Google Maps instructions.
  3. To eliminate the office and other tensions with our favorite playlists and soothing music.
  4. To avoid dreaded honkers.

Dear HTP, its high time you listen to the common man and roll back the unnecessary “headphone rule”. Or let’s take a poll on your so-called popular HTP platforms and then debate about it.

PPS: Most of the headphone users only use one headphone so that they can still be able to listen to the traffic noise which includes Ambulance siren etc.

Conclusion: Dear HTP, driving on Hyderabad roads with the hell lot of traffic gives me some sort of pleasure. At times it gives me perfect time and location to reminisce my past. I feel nostalgic driving alone, don’t take my freedom away with unnecessary rules.

Feedback and suggestions are most welcome. 😀

Special thanks to Yogesh and Bindu for constant support. (This is mandatory now) 🙂