Despite being hauled over the coals by critics for being deeply ‘misogynistic,’ Shahid Kapoor-starrer ‘Kabir Singh’ has set a new record in Australia.
The film has collected $959,994 at the Australian box office in less than two weeks, emerging as the highest grossing Indian film in the country, felling many other big banner films like Gully Boy, Uri and Bharat.
Tweeting on the film’s mammoth business, Indian film critic Taran Adarsh wrote that the film is expected to cross $1 million-mark in Australia by the end of its run in the theatres.
Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who also directed the original film, 'Kabir Singh' tells the story of a gifted surgeon played by Shahid Kapoor, who has serious anger management issues. He goes on a path of self-destruction after he cannot marry the love of his life, portrayed by Kiara Advani.
While the film has received a lot of backlash from critics and a section of viewers for its ‘misogyny’ and ‘flawed’ lead character, the criticism or the competition from other films hasn’t deterred the interest of the audiences - as reflected in the box office collections.
Pritesh Raniga, the owner of Forum Films who has marketed the film in Australia told SBS Punjabi that the film has set a precedent that “not all movies are driven by reviews.”
“In my experience, the underlying love story shown in the film is what is attracting the audiences towards the film. Everyone in today’s world is flawed and has some imperfections like Kabir Singh and this is something that the new age youngsters can connect with,” said Mr Raniga.
“The audience today likes bold plots and this is something that the box office trend is reflecting,” he added.
But Ravneet Singh, a film enthusiast from Melbourne told SBS Punjabi that it's the 'hype' around the film that is driving people towards the theatres.
"The film is being universally panned so people want to know what's really wrong with the film's story line which is prompting more and more people to watch the film," said Mr Singh.
Besides setting overseas box office records, the film is also having a dream run in Indian cinemas where it has become the second-highest grossing film of 2019 after earning over $40 million and is also being proclaimed as Shahid Kapoor’s highest solo starrer opening weekend grosser.
