Kabir Singh

KABIR SINGH is intense, but overindulgent!

Despite a sexist approach and an unnecessarily long runtime of nearly 3 hours, KABIR SINGH’s unabashed display of manic love, first-rate cinematography, soulful music and a profound act by Shahid Kapoor make this modern day DEVDAS worth a watch (only for Adults)!

‘KABIR SINGH’ is the story of a brilliant yet impulsive young surgeon, who falls into a path of self-destruction after the love of his life is forced to marry another man.

Remake of his own Telugu film “Arjun Reddy”, with KABIR SINGH, writer/director Sandeep Reddy Vanga creates a frame by frame copy in Hindi language. Arjun Reddy was partially inspired by Vanga's life as a physiotherapy student. He worked on the script for two years and it took four to five years for the film to materialise. It is soulful and heartfelt, and that shows onscreen. But Vanga gets a bit too carried away with the emotional journey and even that overindulgence is apparent. The content is fit for a two hour film, post-which it feels overstretched. Clocking in at 2 hours 55 minutes, it starts testing your patience after a while.

If it wasn’t for its technical brilliance and unapologetic portrayal, KABIR SINGH could’ve easily become a drag. Ravi K. Chandran’s cinematography deserves an applause. Because of him the film looks terrific. Add to it some deeply moving songs, the mood for the film is appropriately set. Stark resemblance to the classic of DEVDAS is undeniable. In that sense, this is Vanga’s tribute to DEVDAS.

Now there are bound to be voices against its misogynistic theme and the fact that it glamorizes vices. But the truth is that such things and such people do exist in real world, and KABIR SINGH is a story of one such character. I personally don’t have a problem with such display of self-destructive habits. While it does glamorize these vices, it eventually shows the ill-effects of the same as well. Meant for adult audiences across the country, I feel viewers have to apply their own minds, and such portrayals do not really advocate anything wrong. If anything, such characters show a mirror to the society.

Shahid Kapoor finally gets his due with this film. His immense talent desperately needed a character of this depth. He’s a powerhouse and his portrayal is truly moving. His look, his approach, and his uninhibited performance make him truly magnetic. If for nothing else, you can watch this film just for Shahid Kapoor. Kiara is good, but isn’t required to do much here. Soham Majumdar, playing Kabir’s best friend is another bright spot in the film. All others are competent.

To sum up, KABIR SINGH is a film with a soul and technical brilliance, but just like its lead character, it goes into immoderation and lacks the sense of restraint. Shahid Kapoor earns an extra point for the film with his mind-blowing performance. Worth a watch for adults, but will require some patience!