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
Sharath Chandra 
Good work yet again…😊
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Thanks for the support as always 🙂
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