Incredible spectacle, troubling messaging
After a series of career speedbumps, Shahid Kapoor is back on the highway riding his Royal Enfield Classic in and as ‘Kabir Singh’. And fueling Shahid’s Enfield is Telugu director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who has secured this Bollywood remake for his first and only film ‘Arjun Reddy’. The ‘A’ rated movie revolves around its lead, Kabir Singh (Shahid Kapoor), a medical surgeon who follows a very strict diet plan: two loaves of toxic male ego for breakfast, three slices of anger issues for lunch, and two shots of drug abuse for dinner. And Kabir Singh is a 172-minute outcome of that diet.
In essence, Kabir Singh is a fifth year medical school ‘Harami’ who doubles as a teacher for the Delhi Institute of Medical Sciences. The film tries to portray Kabir as a genius macho chick magnet. But he actually comes off as this shallow, deplorable ego maniac who’s got zero respect for others. After a rough altercation with the college dean, he decides to leave the college, until he meets Preeti (Kiara Advani), a first year student. Like a typical Bollywood Romeo, he falls in love at first glance and instantly decides, yes, decides, that Preeti is his, and his only.
He then threatens every boy in the college not to even lay an eye on her. I was taken back by the simplicity and cuteness of Preeti, maybe even remotely crushing, until she surrendered to the whims of Kabir Singh like an ‘obedient loyal wife’. She never speaks out—not even when he randomly kisses her in front of the school, not when he makes her skip classes or takes her out to dates or even when he forces her to live with him. But I guess at some point the Stockholm syndrome kicks in and they’re in love.
Yet soon, their romance takes a wrong turn when Preeti’s father rejects their romantic affair and stresses that Preeti must marry a Sikh. Kabir, obviously, cannot handle the rejection and pours his anger on Preeti, emphasizing how she’s nobody in front of him, and even slaps her—and yet she comes back to him. I do not know what is more disgusting: the character of Kabir Singh or the fact that Preeti gives in so easily to his plastic machismo?
Kabir Singh then goes into a self-destructive spiral to cope with the heartbreak. From treating patients under the influence of chemical substances to pulling out a knife when a women changes her mind about having sex with him, Kabir brings out the demon in him. And that is pretty much the whole movie, the life of Kabir that follows his big heartbreak with Preeti.
I can’t help but appreciate Shahid Kapoor’s acting in this film. Kabir Singh is easily one of his best roles. Nobody else I can imagine could have carried it off better. Kiara didn’t really get to experiment much in terms of acting but she’s graceful when she needs to and persuasively emotional.
A Holi scene stood out for me. There’s a party at the college, and Preeti doesn’t show up, greatly worrying Kabir. “What are you saying? Who is that guy,”—someone has done something terrible to his girl—Kabir shouts on his phone as the camera pans to him on his Royal Enfield, furious, as people around watch in awe, riding towards the girls’ hostel as the movie’s best soundtrack is playing in the background. The cinematographer, actor and the sound director are in perfect symphony.
Kabir Singh, as a piece of cinema, is a solid entertainer. You will enjoy the ace acting of Kapoor, the melodious voice of Arijit Singh and the action sequences. The only problem with the movie is the blatant normalization and glorification of a ‘manly’ (actually sick) character like Kabir Singh. Movies like Kabir Singh should exist though; they stand a testament to the fact that our society is still full of people who idealize the Kabirs of this world. But ‘Kabir Singh’ does exactly one thing perfectly: it constantly reminds you of the original movie, frame to frame, dialogue to dialogue.
Who should watch it?
An ‘A’ rated film, it’s a no-no for children. For the rest, watch the movie, no problem. It is a solid entertainer. But pray, resist from glorifying the character of Kabir Singh as you get caught up in red-in-tooth-and-claw cinematic spectacle.
Kabir Singh
Run Time: 2h 52 m
Director: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Genre: Action
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Arjan Bajwa
3 stars
Riveting retelling of a legend
In the autumn of 1612, in the courts of Lancaster (a county town of Lancashire) in England, 12 people were tried for witchcraft and having familiar spirits—a demon that appears to obey a witch, usually in the form of an animal. This was perhaps the most notorious witch trial of the 17th century where only one was found not guilty. One died in custody, and the rest were hung. What went on to become the legend of the Pendle witches is a dark tale of execution that only makes up just two percent of all the people, mostly women, executed over three centuries in England.
Set against the backdrop of this Pendle witch trials, ‘The Familiars’ is Stacey Hall’s debut novel in which many characters are based on real people. Fleetwood Shuttleworth, mistress of Gawthorpe Hall, has had three miscarriages and she’s pregnant for the fourth time. She has inadvertently read a letter from her doctor, addressed to her husband, Richard, which says she might not survive childbirth. And so she hires a midwife, Alice Gray, to ensure she and her baby both live.
Alice, though having a “low social status”, is a gifted midwife who has learnt from her mother all about delivering a baby. She believes she can safely deliver the child and keep the mother out of harm’s way as well. But her use of different herbs and potions to do so is seen as malevolent magic and Alice is accused of practicing witchcraft and taken into custody. By then, Fleetwood and Alice have formed a bond and are like sisters and Fleetwood vows to save Alice from the fate that awaits her.
Though many of the characters in The Familiars are historical figures, Halls goes beyond a fictional retelling of the legend of the Pendle witches. Through Fleetwood and Alice, she explores what it means to be women and how they are capable of the impossible when their love and limits are tested. Historical fiction can be tricky to get right especially as you have to make sure the facts aren’t distorted while keeping things exciting, and this is where Halls shines. She manages to provide an engaging viewpoint through her protagonist Fleetwood and keeps you intrigued and at the edge of your seat till the very end.
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About the author
Stacey Halls grew up in Lancashire and has always been fascinated by the Pendle witches. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and went on to become the media editor at The Bookseller and books editor at Stylist.co.uk after she moved to London at the age of 21. Currently, she is the deputy chief sub-editor at Fabulous magazine, the UK’s most read women’s magazine with 2.2 million readers and circulation of 1.2 million. |
Book: The Familiars
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author: Stacey Hall
Publisher: Zaffre
Published: February 2019
Language: English
Pages: 420, Paperback
A book about books
“Have you ever wished you could tell your favorite books just what they mean to you?” reads the first two lines of the blurb and, as a reader, you can’t help but think the book is going to resonate with you in so many ways. It does, just not as much as you had initially thought it would. But that’s not the author’s fault at all. She’s candid and honest and writes well too. The thing is, when you haven’t read all the books she talks about (who has heard of a book called The Calculating Book: Fun and Games With Your Pocket Calculator?) then you don’t know what and how to feel about it. And when reading is all about the different emotions it evokes, that kind of sucks.
In ‘Dear Fahrenheit 451’, the author’s debut work, Spence confesses her love for certain books as well as her satisfaction in breaking up with some works when their time comes. Covering books from a vast range of subjects and genres, Spence writes heartfelt letters to some of her absolute favorite titles like ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’, ‘The Goldfinch’, and ‘Matilda’, while expressing her fury at romance novels by Nicholas Sparks, ‘The Twilight’ series, and ‘The Fifty Shades of Grey’ books by E.L. James. She expresses her exasperation and disappointment at seeing them get checked out constantly at the library while good books sat on the shelves.
Spence writes not only to individual titles but also things that are associated with it like the library in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and the book collection she hopes to have in the future. It is while reading these letters that you find yourself vehemently agreeing with the author’s views, almost feeling like she has somehow gotten inside your head. You might not have agreed with how she felt about a particular book but her love for books is completely relatable and that makes you forgive Spence even for the useless and repetitive list of references, recommendations, and resources in the second half of the book. Yes, we know you love ‘The Virgin Suicides’, Ms. Spence. There’s really no need to tell us that over and over again. But then again, do we, as avid readers, ever stop talking about a book we love?
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About the author
By her own confession, Annie Spence can read while doing almost anything else: walking, cooking breakfast, or pretending to be interested in a conversation. Spence has spent the last decade working as a librarian at various public libraries and currently lives in Detroit, Michigan with her husband and son. |
Book: Dear Fahrenheit 451 (A Librarians Love Letters + Break-up Notes to her Books)
Genre: Non-fiction
Author: Annie Spence
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 243, Paperback
The Priyanka-Ayushman show
The chemistry between the real life couple of Priyanka Karki and Aysuhman Deshraj Joshi is so strong that it oozes out on the screen every time they’re together in the film “Prem Diwas.” Everything else falls flat though. Priyanka playing Sapana and Ayushman playing Sagar are both brilliant. But instead of using this chemistry to create a memorable Nepali film, the filmmakers have made an almost forgettable movie.
Prem Diwas is a romantic drama with a love-triangle between the poor and unconfident Sagar, as poor but self-assured Sapana and the rich and kind-hearted Yuvaraj (Bishal Kharel). Sagar, who suffers from a phobia of losing the people he loves forces his girlfriend Sapana into a fake relationship with her boss Yuvaraj, who is exuberantly rich and gullible. That’s basically what the 1h 56m movie is all about, with predictable twists and turns. Again, the movie feels stretched, save for the brilliance of the Priyanka-Ayushman duo and the beautiful cinematography that follows them across the hills of Ilam.
Priyanka shines with her ability to bring every emotion required to the forefront. As Sapana, a girl who works as a laborer at a tea estate in Ilam, she is cute, bubbly, free-spirited and compassionate. Ayushman, a newcomer in the industry compared to Priyanka, nonetheless complements her well. As the confused and dejected Sagar, Ayushman can be both loveable and despicable. Together, the couple are so into the zone that they make up for most of the movie’s lackluster plot and juvenile storytelling.
The weakest link in the love triangle has to be debutant Bishal Kharel as Yuvaraj who is a total disaster. He can’t even change his countenance in line with the different emotions required in different scenes. We don’t understand his character at all. Add some fake American accent to it and uncertain dialogue delivery and Bishal completely messes up what could have been a strong, imposing character. Playing a rich owner of a tea estate in Ilam, Bishal looks uncomfortable and can’t quite emulate the natural confidence rich people project.
But he couldn’t do worse than a few recognized faces who’re in the movie for comic relief. They’re loud, cheap and unfunny. In fact, the only comic relief is provided at times by Ayushman himself. Maybe Kollywood should forget the usual suspects of the industry and find fresh talent who can make people laugh without being loud.
As mentioned earlier, the only other positive about the movie, besides Priyanka and Ayushman’s acting, has got to be the excellent cinematography. With extensive use of drones and choicest framings, the beauty of Ilam and its peripheries is just breathtaking. Also, the title track “Phoola Diye Timilai” is subtly catchy and used as background scores to make some scenes more compelling.
Who should watch it?
The trolls who went after Priyanka for her Cannes appearance and the haters who labelled the Priyanka-Ayushman relationship fake, should definitely watch this movie. Priyanka shows why she deserves the Cannes invitation and how she could do with a little support from the industry. Ayushman and Priyanka prove their popularity individually and together in “Prem Diwas.”
Movie: Prem Diwas
Genre: Romance/Drama
Cast: Priyanka Karki, Ayushman Deshraj Joshi, Bishal Kharel
Director: Yogesh Ghimire
Length: 1 hr 56 m
Rating: 3/5
