Arjun Kapoor recently revealed that producers Murad Khetani and Ashwin Varde acquired the rights to remake the Hindi version of Arjun Reddy - Shahid Kapoor's Kabir Singh - 'keeping me in mind', reported news agency PTI. Speaking at the 10th Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai, Arjun said while he was keen on doing the movie, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga had already "committed" the role to Shahid Kapoor: "It did not reach that stage where I could chose or not. When the rights were being acquired by Ashwin and Murad, who made Mubarakan, they acquired keeping me in mind. Sandeep Vanga, the director had met Shahid and he had seen the film before and they decided to do the film together."
However, Arjun Kapoor was all praises for Shahid's performance in Kabir Singh: "Shahid is a fantastic choice and he has done it fantastically. He is a fantastic actor. The film has fine Rs 275 crore." Telugu star Vijay Deverakonda played the titular genius surgeon, battling alcoholism and dealing with anger management issues in Arjun Reddy while Shahid stepped into his shoes for Kabir Singh.
Arjun added that a film like Kabir Singh need to be made by the filmmaker, who had helmed the original version as well. And since Sandeep Reddy Vanga had already zeroed in on Shahid, Arjun 'respected' his decision instead of an 'ego tussle': "The film needed Sandeep Vanga. There is a madness to that film, there is an inherent energy. It is a simple story but there was madness to the treatment. He (Sandeep) had already committed and he wanted to stick by his words and I respect that. I did not want my producers sitting around with the rights of the film and not making it out of me being in an ego tussle with anybody," PTI quoted Arjun as saying.
"Sandeep is the director of the film and he had a clearer vision of the film and without him the film wouldn't have been what it is now. Fundamentally, films chose actors and directors but in this case the intent was right from our side and we couldn't combine it," added the Panipat actor.
Arjun Kapoor said it's not really a case of giving up a movie but he wanted to trust Sandeep Reddy Vanga's vision of Kabir Singh: "It doesn't mean I left it or I did not choose it. It is complicated. There are human emotions and decisions and lot of things come into picture. The director wanted somebody else because he and committed to someone it was not that he said, you can't do it. My impulse stays right as I selected the right material but then you move on in life," he said at the film festival.
Kabir Singh battled massive criticism and turned out to be a box office blockbuster. The film's journey in theatres was mired in controversy with critics slamming the film for glorifying misogyny and promoting toxic masculinity.
Arjun Kapoor has two interesting films in his line-up - he will next be seen in Dibakar Banerjee's Sandeep Aur Pinky Farar and Ashutosh Gowariker's Panipat.
(With PTI inputs)
