Shahid Kapoor reveals how Mira Rajput convinced him to do Kabir Singh

Shahid Kapoor's Kabir Singh (2019) won both critical and commercial acclaim upon its release. The Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial also became the center of several controversies, with the titular character being labelled as an epitome of "toxic masculinity". Despite the negativity coming its way, the film continued to mint money at the box office and eventually became one of the biggest hits of Shahid's career, second only to Padmaavat (2018). However, in a new interview, Shahid revealed that he had initially rejected Kabir Singh.

3 things you need to know

• Kabir Singh is a remake of Arjun Reddy, also directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga. 
• Kabir Singh minted ₹276 crore in India and went on to become the biggest hit of 2019.
• Shahid and Kiara Advani teamed up for the first time in the film.

Shahid reveals his first reaction after watching Arjun Reddy

In an interview with Pinkvilla, Shahid Kapoor spoke about his first reaction after watching Arjun Reddy. He said, “It (Kabir Singh) is a remake, so I saw Arjun Reddy. Somebody had sent that to my house and I remember me and Mira were sitting and watching the movie. I saw the movie, and I was like 'This is a damn cool movie, man! This film has done everything that you're not supposed to do in a movie. And still I'm loving this guy. He's doing everything a nice guy is not supposed to do. This is so cool, how is this guy like this?”

(Sandeep Reddy Vanga made his Bollywood directorial debut with Kabir Singh, starring Shahid Kapoor | Image: X) 

The actor, last seen in Bloody Daddy, further added that a copy of Arjun Reddy was sent to him because they wanted to make a Hindi remake, that too, at a time when remakes were not popular in Bollywood. He recalled being hesitant about doing the film initially.

“My first answer was 'no way am I doing this movie'. This guy (Vijay Deverakonda) is a newcomer and he has done such a good job. What happens is when you see somebody for the first time on camera, whatever whoever they are, their personality blends into the character they're playing. Because you don't know them personally,” he shared.

He further shared what he told his wife Mira Rajput about the film. “So I was like this guy has done his first film. I have worked in so many movies. The way he personifies this character, I don't know if I'll be able to because people have already seen me in many different characters. And I finished my whole gyaan (knowledge), saying that 'this is my reason, Mira. Mujhe ye film nahi karni chahiye. (I shouldn't do this film).”

Mira convinced Shahid Kapoor to do Kabir Singh

In the same interview, Shahid revealed that it was his wife who convinced him to do the film eventually. 

(Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput tied the knot in 2015 | Image: X)

He added, “She just kept looking at me and after 5 minutes she was like 'just shut up and do it. It's the perfect film for you'. I was like 'really?', she was like 'Yeah. People love to see you in love stories, people love to see you in messed-up characters. This has both! Just do it!' Her thinking was so simple and I had overcomplicated it for myself and I guess it was good I did Kabir Singh."