Back With A Bang - Shahid Kapoor

As the new-age ‘angry young man’, Shahid Kapoor has slalomed into the 200-crore plus club with Kabir Singh. Raghuvendra Singh chats with the man of the moment

- Raghuvendra Singh

With Kabir Singh, Shahid Kapoor seems to have made rage synonymous with romance. As the wound up surgeon, who spirals down into self-destruction after his girlfriend (Kiara Advani) marries another man, Shahid’s given a layered performance. Even so, Sandeep Vanga Reddy’s Hindi remake of his Tamil blockbuster Arjun Reddy (2017), Kabir Singh, set a section of critics and feminists fuming with its misogynistic overtones. But the audiences not only dismissed detractors but also marshaled the film into the 200-crore plus guild. Perhaps, it found a timbre with the emotional anarchy of the youth. Perhaps, it hit a chord with the living on-the-edge generation. Whatever the rationale… Kabir Singh, apart from being Shahid’s biggest solo hit, marks yet another distinct departure from the chocolate hero of Ishq Vishk, Vivah, and Jab We Met. Films like Haider, Udta Punjab and Kabir Singh prove bad is truly good for Shahid… Excerpts from a chat on the eve of the release of Kabir Singh...

What made you say yes to Kabir Singh?

I loved Arjun Reddy. I could connect with it. The film was raw, real and unapologetic. Arjun Reddy didn’t shy away from love, from angst, from depression, from the dark moments as well as from the beautiful moments. It was a complete emotional experience. I was surprised as to how much I enjoyed watching the film. So naturally, I was excited to take it to the Hindi audience.