NICE BOYS ARE BORING
T he blockbuster sure took its time coming. But Kabir Singh has firmly entrenched Shahid Kapoor on Bollywood terra firma. The box-office success has given him a new lease of life at the movies. The actor, who majored in acting chops but minored in box-office, is finally sighing with relief. His credentials as an actor were never in doubt, remember Kaminey and Haider. Some would say he is an actor ahead of his times. But those elusive numbers eclipsed his talent. The 280-crore Kabir Singh has changed all that. No wonder there’s a huge huge grin on his face, a spring in his walk. All those feelings that he didn’t get his due have vanished. He’s upbeat. Now he says he wants to do cinema that woos a larger section of the audience rather than a niche. He’s set his targets higher. The success bug has bit him for sure. On the personal front, things are doing swimmingly well too. Parenthood has taught him a lot. He’s in the process of shifting home. We’re at Mehboob Studios shooting the cover. His make-up man is late. Since the shoot cannot start without him getting ready, there’s time galore on hand. We decide to use it productively. Cut then to his make-up van. He reclines comfortably in his chair. And I roll out my questions…
MIRA’S MY BIGGEST REALITY BECAUSE WE SHARE OUR LIVES TOGETHER… SHE GOT MARRIED SO YOUNG, HAD TWO KIDS AND HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DEAL WITH THAT WHEN SHE WAS JUST STEPPING OUT OF BEING A KID HERSELF... WE’RE 13 YEARS APART… SOMETIMES WE’RE EACH OTHER’S BEST FRIENDS. SOMETIMES WE JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER
DID YOU EXPECT KABIR SINGH TO PAN OUT THE WAY IT DID?
was an experimental journey. We didn’t know what kind of audience would accept it. It was an adult film; it had a flawed character. The love broke shackles. An adult film making 280 crores, a film with normally priced tickets, which released on a non-holiday weekend, is something we all must learn from. I knew that we had a good product. But the response was overwhelming. Some reviews were strongly critical. But the way people defended the film was just spectacular. I didn’t feel the need to go out and say anything because I had an army of people, who said everything I felt.
