So this past weekend, much anticipated Shahid Kapoor film came out. The box office numbers are speaking for itself as the film has gone past 100 crore figure within 5 days, surpassing Shahid Kapoor's previous highest grosser Udta Punjab in just 3 days. The trending on Monday was as amazing as for any film with a fantastic word of mouth this year, it looks like it might even surpass Salman Khan's Bharat which is truly commendable considering how big Salman Khan movie makes as previously, the first day collection of Salman Khan films is equal to the lifetime collection of any of the films starring Shahid Kapoor. The movie has some great qualities but there are a lot of things which I couldn't really swallow. The hits and misses of the film are stated as under:
The Hits
1. Unique in its approach
One thing that truly grasped me into the film was the uniqueness it had. On the ground level the story is basically something which we have heard before and have gotten executed in Hindi film industry too many times. Two people fall in love, the circumstances force them to part ways and then find their feet with the relationship all over again. But the way Kabir Singh's screenplay was written, the credit is due to the director. He made a simple love story work in a very unique yet engaging way!
2. Bold
This is one of the selling points of this film, Kabir Singh is as bold as it can get in Hindi cinema. The director left no stones unturned to produce the film he wanted, giving zero Fs to the censor board. Even tho the film has received an "A" certificate, it has struck a chord with the youths so much so that it has become a blockbuster. It gives a lesson to each and every director out there who wants to try something but fear Censor board. You make the film as honestly you can, do not care about the censorship. If people like a film, in today's day and age, they will shower love all over your film!
3. Music
Background music of this film is goosebumps worthy. I can still remember the scene where they are celebrating Holi and Kabir Singh is concerned if someone plays Holi with Preeti. As soon as phone rings, he shouts "Kisne touch Kiya uska Maadarc**d?" and then starts the background music which sends a chill down your spine. Not only that, the songs are delightful and melodies which can listen to in a repeat mode. Music is another selling point of this film!
4. The Performances
Oh well, do I really need to talk about this? One thing that was assured by the teaser, the trailer, the promos is that performances were going to be top notch and they didn't disappoint one bit. Shahid Kapoor as the angry, unapologetic, self-destructive Kabir Singh is an absolute delight to watch. He brings his acting potential to play and you can sense how hard he worked for the film. Kiara Advani does a commendable job to bring cuteness to her character and play the ice to Kabir Singh's fire. Soham Majumdar as Shiva was the surprise package, the most likeable character in the film. Through thick and thin, he stands with Kabir and gives friendship goals. Suresh Oberoi as Kabir's father, Arjan Bajwa as Kabir's elder brother, Nikita Dutta as the famous actress Jia Sharma with all other principle cast have done justice to their characters!
The Misses
1. Misogynistic Behavior
A lot has been said about this already and this film has garnered too much criticism from the female critics. The fact that Kabir dominates Preeti in their relationship is something which no woman is going to tolerate, it seems throughout their relationship he owns her. He kisses her without her consent, takes her on bike without her consent and when Preeti's father refuses to marry her with him, he bashes her, goes all haywire stating how she is nothing without him and labels here as nothing more than "Kabir's Bandi". It never seems like he cares about the inner conflicts Kabir has to face.
2. Editing
Hindi Cinema consist of the most average set of editors. Some people argue how Hollywood films are so much better and everything. The main difference between Hollywood and Bollywood is editing. This film is almost 3 hour long which means you will be absolutely exhausted by the time you walk out of the theater. Especially in the 2nd half, the movie starts to take a toll on you. This movie in my opinion could have been well under 2 hour and 30 minutes mark, they meaninglessly added 30 more minutes to hault the impact of the film.
3. Way too unapologetic for a protagonist
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Kabir Singh. But at the end of the film, I couldn't help but think about the characterization. Kabir Singh was a character who thought about nothing but himself. He defines Preeti and the flaws in her but couldn't realize how flawed he himself is. His whole family cares about him but he doesn't care about any of them. He behaves rudely to people left and right but doesn't believe in saying sorry. When he loses Preeti, he loses his family support, he still feels it was all the cast system's fault (which was never highlighted in any sense) and Preeti's parents fault to not understand their love. You drink, you abuse, you attack people, how come any father in this entire world would like you to marry his daughter? He did realize at the end of the film but most of the parts his characterization did make for a lot of discomfort!
Conclusion
Kabir Singh is not boring, not by any means. And that's baffling considering the fact it is 3 hour long. That alone makes this film stand out. If you want to watch a different take on love, this film is for you. Some things about the film will make you cringe as well but that's usual Bollywood stuff for you, isn't it? Overall, it has that impact to make youths go crazy about this film and that's what's happening. Definitely it's a one time watch and for lovebirds, even a couple of watches won't do the justice. It's going to breach the 200 crore figure at the box office looking at the trending. It's a congratulations to the entire team!
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