Kabir Singh Review {4.0/5} & Review Rating
One of the most loved love stories of Bollywood is DEVDAS. It has been remade several times and ten years ago, Anurag Kashyap gave a different touch to the tale through DEV D [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. Two 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 and performances. ARJUN REDDY became a cult success and now its Hindi remake KABIR SINGH is all set to hit theatres. So does KABIR SINGH turn out to be as good as or better than ARJUN REDDY? Or does it fail to stir the emotions of the viewers? Let’s analyse.
KABIR SINGH 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 and 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 choses the second option as he’s of the opinion that he did no wrong. But in no time Kabir changes his mind after he sees the first year student Preeti (Kiara Advani). Luck favours on him as Preeti's family is family friend of Kabir's and he’s asked to take care of her. Kabir is much feared on campus and he starts to give her personal lessons. Preeti enjoys this attention and soon they begin a romantic relationship. After their course ends, they move back to their respective residences in Mumbai. Kabir's brother Karan (Arjan Bajwa) is getting married and Kabir 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 and Kabir is unable to stop this union. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s story is top-notch and very entertaining. The entire premise and 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 and looks like a story of present day. The film showcases a vast journey of the protagonist and it’s stitched together very well. Siddharth-Garima’s dialogues are quite impactful and suit the temper of the protagonist. The funny and medical-inspired one liners are quite witty.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s direction is quite impressive and he recreates the same magic that he managed to create in ARJUN REDDY. For a director who’s so new, Sandeep helms this venture like a pro. One can feel the pain that Kabir goes through and despite his immoral acts and addiction, one’s heart goes to him. To manage to achieve this feat is no cakewalk.
KABIR SINGH has a bit of a philosophical beginning and it’s confusing. The film gets on track as the flashback commences. One of the high points of the first half is when Kabir assaults the rival college player and rationalises his behaviour 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 and 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 and intermission portions. Post interval the film gets a bit dragging. But it keeps one engaged as Kabir turns into an alcoholic but a fantastic surgeon and 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 and all. The film ends on a lovely note.
Kabir Singh Review | Shahid Kapoor | Kiara Advani | Public Review | FDFS
Shahid Kapoor 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 Vijay Deverekonda and that too in a role that made him an overnight craze. Yet, Shahid comes out with flying colours. He has boyish looks and still, when he enters the rival college and bashes a student in front of other hundreds of in house students and they don’t object, it seems totally convincing. His alcoholic phase is quite digestible too. Kiara Advani doesn’t have much dialogues and her screen time is limited in the second half. However she fits the part and adds a lot with her fine performance. Her breakdown sequence is exceptional. Nikita Dutta is sweet in the supporting role. Arjan Bajwa and Suresh Oberoi (Kabir’s father) are decent. Soham Majumdar (Shiva) has a very crucial part and is very entertaining. Audiences would surely love him. Adil Hussain is passable. Vanita Kharat (Kabir’s maid) raises 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 fine.
The Songs are mostly relegated in the background. 'Bekhayali' is the best of the lot and very well placed in the film. 'Kaise Hua' is well shot and the instrumental part of the song is like one of the film’s themes. 'Tujhe Kitna Chahne Lage', 'Pehla Pyaar' and 'Tera Ban Jaunga' are sweet. 'Mere Sohneya' is uplifting. Harshvardhan Rameshwar's background score is subtle and even absent in a few scenes. But the central theme of the film is exhilarating and 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 and Ankita Patel's costumes are realistic yet appealing. Afzal Usman Khan's action is quite real and gory. Aarif Sheikh's editing is a bit abrupt at certain places.
On the whole, KABIR SINGH is a well-made love saga which has tremendous appeal for the youth. The deadly cocktail of adult theme, lovemaking scenes, hit music, taut script and bravura performances would surely bring audiences in hordes to the cinemas.
