Shahid Kapoor has been a fringe player on the Mumbai Film scene for a couple of years. He has, however, not tasted any big success. 2019 has turned out to be auspicious for him as his film "Kabir Khan" is termed a hit and has rivalled the success of Salman Khan's "Bharat", even though it has been released in 1000 fewer screens than Salman Khan's film. It is also the first solo hit of Shahid Kapoor. The film has crossed the Rs 100 crore ( GBP 11.15 million ) mark and as per News18.com has collected over 142 crores ( GBP11.62 million ) in the first week.
It is heading towards the 150 crores ( GBP11.71 million ) mark. The success of the film is reminiscent of the success of the film "Badla"
Shahid Kapoor is best remembered for his affair with Kareena Kapoor ( who later married Saif Ali Khan and converted to Islam). He did have a couple of successful films but big-ticket success eluded him. Now with "Kabir Singh", he has at last churned out a solo hit at the box office. The film is a remake of a Telugu film "Arjun Reddy" made two years back. The film starred Telugu actors Vijay Deverakonda and Shalini Pandey. Vijay Deverkonda has congratulated Shahid Kapoor on the success of the remake. "Kabir Singh" relates the story of a disgruntled lover who takes to drugs and alcohol after his girlfriend Preeti marries another man.
The film also stars newcomer Kaira Advani in the female lead as Preeti. In a way, it's an offbeat venture that mirrors the macho side of a strong man. Perhaps this is what the audience has liked and made the film is a runaway success. The best part is that it almost keeps pace with the blockbuster "Bharat". Considering the film was made on a much lower budget the success of "Kabir Singh" means its ROI on investment is more than Salman's film.
The film
The film was released on June 21 and had a great opening. It collected Rs 21 crore ( GBP 2.3 million ) on opening day. Shahid Kapoor will have cause to celebrate the success of the movie. More so as it's his first solo film that has crossed over Rs 100 crore at the box office. Trade analysists credit the success of the film to Shahid Kapoor and director Sandeep Reddy Vanga who also directed the Telugu film The actor hogs the limelight and literally carries the film on his shoulders.
The film, however, is a trifle too long and at a running time of nearly three hours taxes the viewer's limits.
The film is not without its detractors and a Central Board of Film Certification ( CBFC ) member has slammed the film on Twitter calling it a "terribly misogynistic film," as reported by the Economic Times. All said and done the movie is a blockbuster hit and the second biggest grosser after "Bharat" of 2019.
Last word
With two of the three Khans fading away the top spots are up for grabs. Akshay Kumar has occupied one of the slots and Shahid Kapoor if he sustains the success of "Kabir Singh" in further projects, bids fair to try and fill another spot. Shahid Kapoor is still young at 38 and has years of creativity ahead for him.
