Sukanya reviews two films. While Kabir Singh portrayed a man of extremes with no middle grounds, The Spy portrayed a spy as an hero, too perfect to be true. An exclusive for Different Truths. 

Director: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Writers: Siddharth Singh (dialogue), Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Stars: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Soham Majumdar

Kabir Singh (2019): Drama, Romance

Kabir Singh is a remake of a Telugu movie Arjun Reddy (2017), where a short-tempered house surgeon gets used to drugs and drinks when his girlfriend is forced to marry another person.

Kabir Singh is a remake of a Telugu movie Arjun Reddy (2017), where a short-tempered house surgeon gets used to drugs and drinks when his girlfriend is forced to marry another person. Kabir Rajdheer Singh is a house surgeon at Delhi Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India. Despite being a brilliant student, he has severe anger management problems that earn the wrath of the dean of the college. Kabir’s aggressive nature also earns him a reputation among his juniors as a college bully. After having a brawl alongside his friend Kamal against members of the opposing team who made fun of them during an inter-college football match, the dean asks Kabir to either apologise or leave the college.

Kabir initially chooses the latter but stays back after meeting and falling in love with first-year student Preeti Sikka. The film tried to portray anger management issues and how it could backfire. That purpose for sure has been served well by the plot.

The only weak point about this film according to me is that Kabir Singh was portrayed as a person of extremes – once a very sweet lover and again a very angry person.

The only weak point about this film according to me is that Kabir Singh was portrayed as a person of extremes – once a very sweet lover and again a very angry person. There seemed to be no bridge between the two. In reality, I believe no matter how angry a person maybe there is always a version of the person which bridges the gap between the happy x and the angry x . But in this movie the main character somehow didn’t seem to have that middle ground.

***

The Spy (2019)

Creator: Gideon Raff

Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Hadar Ratzon Rotem, Yael Eitan

As a biographical sketch, this should have been about the deeper truths of Cohen, the spy, who was leading a life of riches as Kamel but on the inside was just a lonely agent, nothing more.

The film is about Eli Cohen’s a hero of great stature in Israel. While I do agree that he is a hero and should be remembered and commemorated this film couldn’t do justice to the same. As a biographical sketch, this should have been about the deeper truths of Cohen, the spy, who was leading a life of riches as Kamel but on the inside was just a lonely agent, nothing more.

Of course he was considered a hero post death but during his lifetime there was just pain. But this movie instead considered portraying him as the National Hero, somebody who risked everything – somebody who was never afraid – somebody who just could do everything. His grief, his sadness, the fact that he missed his old life, the fact that he couldn’t see his second child that he was empty on the inside – his emotional turmoil or mental state, his problems when not given much importance or were not highlighted enough throughout the movie.

I was, however, quite impressed by the way his wife’s life was portrayed. Her mood swings, struggles, sadness, desires which remained unfulfilled

I was, however, quite impressed by the way his wife’s life was portrayed. Her mood swings, struggles, sadness, desires which remained unfulfilled. Even the spy’s brother’s life was portrayed with much perfection. Had the same been done for the protagonist, the movie would have worked out much better.

Photos sourced by the author from the Internet