Hopping from one flight to another, Shahid Kapoor, the lead actor of Kabir Singh has upped his ante while promoting his upcoming release in different cities. But what made Shahid feel more passionate about visiting Hyderabad is that the original movie Arjun Reddy, of which Kabir Singh is a remake, was shot here and went on to become one of the most talked about superhits till date.
Talking about his love for Arjun Reddy and why he signed the Hindi remake, the actor says, “It’s an exciting movie to be a part of, especially since I fell in love with Arjun Reddy after watching it. It was amazing to see that kind of a movie coming out from Hyderabad and I was impressed with the way the movie was made and how the actors had performed.”
He adds, “When I was approached for the movie, I was initially apprehensive to take it up as it was a stellar movie that I did not want to spoil in any way. But when I found out that the original director Sandeep Reddy Vanga was willing to handle this too, it made a lot of difference and I was soon on board.”
For Shahid, it was not only important that the original director was helming the project but that he also understood the Hindi audience and the language. “I was happy to find out that Sandeep was comfortable in Hindi and was aware of the changes that needed to be done while remaking the film. A film has to be true to one’s culture and passion to make it happen,” says Shahid.
“I had never been part of a remake driven by the character, and could not let it become a copy-paste job. Striking a balance between making it original and holding on to the core nuances of the movie was challenging,” he shares.
On finding Kabir
According to Shahid, playing a character with such an emotional arc is challenging. “I had to find Kabir, the way Vijay Devarakonda found Arjun. I was hoping to meet Vijay in Hyderabad but sadly he is travelling. I hope to catch up with him soon and bond over movies,” he says.
On Hyderabad and working in Tollywood
“I have not got the opportunity to explore Hyderabad as I had shot only a portion of Kaminey at Ramoji Film City. Earlier, my friend used to stay here and we would visit a club which would shut down at 10 pm, much to my amazement! But people here are wonderful and I am very happy with the love and support the people of Hyderabad are giving us,” shares Shahid, while admitting that he is a little scared of the high expectations surrounding him and his film.
“I don’t have many friends in Tollywood but if I get a good opportunity, I would definitely like to consider it. Though language is a massive barrier, one has to look convincing and do proper justice to the role,” says the actor.
Future projects
“At present I am unemployed, I haven’t signed anything. The offer has to be exciting enough to devote that amount of time, be it on any platform - movies or on digital,” says Shahid as he signs off.
