Film Review
Kabir Singh
“Kabir Singh Is A Well Made Love Saga”
Banner: Cine1 Studios & T-Series
Producer: Mura Khetani. Ashwin Varde, Bushan Kumar & Krishan Kumar
Director: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Star Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Arjan Bajwa, Suresh Oberoi, Adil Hussain, Nikita Dutta, Soham Majumdar, Kamini Kaushal, Anurag Arora, Suparna Marwah, Dolly Mattoo, Kunal Thakur, Swati Seth, Anusha Sampath, Vinay Sharma as Kalyan, Amit Sharma, Parakh Madan, Mitansh Lulla, Gagandeep Singh, Teena Singh, Rajat Aroraa, Ankush Deshmukh, Ramakant Dayma, Danish, Anagha Joshi, Meneka Kurup Arora, Geetika, Harsh A. Singh, Vanita Kharat, Aanchal Chauhan, Urvashi Panchal, Siya Mahajan, Abhay Raj Singh & Vipul Deshpande
Music: Mithun, Amaal Malik, Vishal Mishra, Sachet-Parampara, Akhil Sachdeva & Harshvardhan Rameshwar
One of the most loved love stories of Bollywood is of course Devdas. It has been remade several times & a decade later, Anurag Kashyap gave a different touch to the tale through Dev D in the year 2009. All the interpretations have been liked as there’s a charm in the story of a man who goes on a self-destructive path when he fails to get the girl he loves. 2 years ago, Sandeep Reddy Vanga made a Telugu film named Arjun Reddy, which had a kind of a deja vu of Devdas. Yet, it stood out due to the treatment, execution & performances. Arjun Reddy became a cult success & now its Hindi remake Kabir Sigh has hit the theaters.
So the scripted scenario of Kabir Singh reveals that it is the story of a heartbroken man on the path of self-destruction. Kabir Singh (Shahid Kapoor) is a top ranked medical student from a Delhi medical school. He is hot tempered & once during a football match, he gets into physical altercation with a rival college student named Amit (Amit Sharma). The college Dean (Adil Hussain) asks him to tender an apology or else he’ll be fired. Kabir chooses the 2nd option as he’s of the opinion that he did no wrong. But in no time Kabir Singh changes his mind after he sees the 1st year student Preeti (Kiara Advani). Luck favors on him as Preeti’s family is a family friend of Kabir Singh’s & he’s asked to take care of her. Kabir Singh is much feared on campus & he starts to give her personal lessons. Preeti enjoys this attention & soon they begin a romantic relationship. After their course ends, they move back to their respective residences in Mumbai. Kabir Singh’s brother Karan Singh (Arjan Bajwa) is getting married & Kabir Singh goes to Preeti’s house to pick her up. Things turn awry here as Preeti’s father spots the lovebirds cosying up to each other. In a sudden turn of events, Preeti is compelled to get married to one Jatinder & Kabir Singh is unable to stop this union. What happens next forms the rest of the crux of the film.
Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s (Who had also directed the Telugu original Arjun Reddy) story is top-notch & very entertaining. The entire premise & most of the script is the same as Arjun Reddy. Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s screenplay does justice to the premise. The biggest plus is that it’s quite fresh. Despite the Devdas hangover, it stands out & looks like a story of the present day. The film showcases a vast journey of the protagonist & it’s stitched together very well. Siddharth & Garima’s dialogues are quite impactful & even suit the temper of the protagonist. The funny & the medically inspired 1 liner’s are indeed quite witty & funny.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s direction is quite impressive & he recreates the same magic that he managed to create even in Arjun Reddy. For a director who’s so new, Sandeep Reddy Vanga helms this venture like a pro. One can feel the pain that Kabir Singh goes through & despite his immoral acts & addiction; one’s heart goes out to him. To manage to achieve this feat is no cakewalk.
Kabir Singh has a bit of a philosophical beginning & it’s so confusing. The film gets on track as the flashback scenes commences. One of the high points of the 1st ever half is when Kabir Singh assaults the rival college player & even rationalizes his behavior in front of the Dean. The scenes where he orders Preeti to join him for private lessons seem a bit unsettling but it gets better once you find out that Preeti is willingly joining him & that she enjoys his company. Then again the film goes on a high during the intense Holi sequence. The tension continues in the entire pre-interval & even after the intermission portions. Post interval the film gets a bit dragging. But it keeps one engaged as Kabir Singh turns into an alcoholic but a fantastic surgeon & even gets into a sort of fling with Jiya Sharma (Nikita Dutta). The in house court sequence is very intriguing. The climax is partly predictable but the turn of events will surely surprise one & all. The film ends on a lovely note.
The Songs are mostly relegated in the background. “Bekhayali”is the best of the lot & very well placed in the film. “Kaise Hua”is well shot & the instrumental part of the song is like one of the film’s themes. “Tujhe Kitna Chahne Lage” “Pehla Pyaar”& “Tera Ban Jaunga”are sweet. “Mere Sohneya”is uplifting. Harshvardhan Rameshwar’s background score is subtle & even absent in a few scenes. But the central theme of the film is exhilarating & even adds to the excitement.
Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran’s cinematography is superlative. The madness is very well captured. Mansi Dhruv Mehta’s production design is quite rich. Payal Saluja & Ankita Patel’s costumes are realistic yet appealing. Afzal Usman Khan’s action is quite real & exremely gory. Aarif Sheikh’s editing is a bit abrupt at certain places.
Shahid Kapoor, no doubt, owns the film. It won’t be wrong to say this is his most accomplished work. He had a tall order to accomplish since he is stepping into the shoes of the Telugu actor Vijay Deverekonda & that too in a role that made him an overnight craze. Yet, Shahid Kapoor comes out with flying colors. He has boyish looks & still, when he enters the rival college & bashes a student in front of other 100’s of the in-house students & they don’t even object, it seems totally convincing. His alcoholic phase is quite digestible too. Kiara Advani doesn’t have much dialogues & even her screen time is limited in the 2nd half. However she fits the part & even adds a lot with her fine performance. Her breakdown sequence is exceptional. Nikita Dutta is very sweet in the supporting role. Arjan Bajwa as Kabir Sing’s brother & Suresh Oberoi as Kabir Singh’s father are decent. Soham Majumdar as Shiva has a very crucial part & is very entertaining. Audiences would surely love him. Adil Hussain is passable. Vanita Kharat as Kabir Singh’s maid raises the laughs in both her scenes. Amit Sharma is a bit over the top but that suits his character. The actors playing Shruti, Jatinder, Keerti are also fine.
Tail Piece: On the whole, Kabir Singh is a well-made love saga which has tremendous appeal for the youth. The deadly cocktail of the adult theme & even the lovemaking scenes, the hit music, the taut script & the bravura performances would surely bring the audiences in hordes to the cinemas halls.
At the box office turnstiles Arjun Reddy is a sure shot win. Period!!!
