Why despite Kabir Singh's box-office success

kabir singh movies image

Shahid Kapoor's Kabir Singh Movies is currently gaining all the attention right now with its wonderfull performance at the box office. The film has turned out to be the actor's biggest solo hit and people everywhere cannot stop talking about it. Kabir Singh is based on the Telugu blockbuster Arjun Reddy that came out in 2017 and made Vijay Deverakonda an instant star.

As someone who has watched both films, I cannot help but compare the two. Though Shahid's performance in Kabir Singh was a class apart, my heart still beats for simpler, sadder and less enraged Arjun Reddy.

One thing that really sets the two movies apart is, Arjun Reddy was a story of pain and suffering with a touch of rage, whereas Kabir Singh is the tale of a man hellbent on letting his anger get the best of him. There are so many things that made Arjun Reddy a film close to my heart and despite not understanding the language and making my way through the film with crutches of subtitle, I cried like a baby.

Though both the movies suffer the same problem of toxic masculinity and glories the idea of inflated male ego, Arjun Reddy still manages to lure you with moments of innocence and tenderness.

Kabir Singh is based on the love shared by Kabir and Preeti and that's all there is, but Arjun Reddy digs deeper than that. The film offers you an insight into Arjun's relationship with his friends, the pain he feels when he gets to know Kamal is getting married to his girlfriend and how protective Arjun gets when he finds out that Shiva's sister is getting married to a pretentious guy.

Another reason why I was impressed with the original film was the representation of the caste conflict. Bollywood films often try to avoid the issue of caste but the Telugu blockbuster not only addresses caste but also makes you confront the harsh reality of it.

When Preeti's dad refuses to let her go with Arjun, his anger is centred around the absurdity of the caste divide. There are few frames in the Telugu version that are just flawless for a simple reason, Arjun Reddy was created with the freedom of creativity as it was just a film without any prior structure.

A lot has already been said about both the films and the problems attached to them, so it is better to leave the room open for that discussion. Liking a film of not liking it is a subjective matter so all I can say is despite all its glory and smashing success Vijay owned the character for me.