Shahid Kapoor says his upcoming film ‘Kabir Singh’ will stay true to the Telugu hit ‘Arjun Reddy’ it’s based on.
“The original was very raw, very honest. I don’t think there was anything in the film that was for effect. I just felt it said things as it is and was a brazen journey of a character who goes through an emotional arc which is extreme,” Kapoor said.
‘Kabir Singh’ is directed by Sandeep Vanga, who also helmed the original 2017 movie.
“The honesty of the film connected with the audience. Otherwise for a film like that, there would be a limited audience. But it was loved across the board. The idea is to do it all over again,” Kapoor added.
The actor says while they have retained the essence of the film, they have also rediscovered the project.
“We are trying to make it as honest and as raw as it was. Not trying to change anything for the sake of it. We are rediscovering it. Of course the way we do it, there’ll be some differences.
“It’s a good thing because we want to give an experience to people where they don’t say ‘Oh, we’ve seen this before.’ It must be fresh,” he added.
The film chronicles an alcoholic surgeon who goes on a self-destructive path after his ex-lover gets married.
“Creating a remake is damn tough. You have loved it for what it was but you can’t go out there and copy it.
“The original was ‘Arjun Reddy’, based in Hyderabad and Bangalore. This is ‘Kabir Singh’, which is based in Delhi and Mumbai. Maybe Arjun and Kabir are cousins but they are not the same person. My journey is only to find Kabir Singh.”
The film, also featuring Kiara Advani, is scheduled to release in India on June 21.
