Kabir Singh box office collection: Can Shahid Kapoor starrer re-create the magic of Vijay Deverakonda's Arjun Reddy?

Kabir Singh box office collection: Most Indians would associate Telugu cinema with broad-shouldered muscle-flexing 'heroes' beating villains in over the top action sequences, without shedding even a tear drop, amid claps and hoots from the audience. The high point for Telugu cinema probably came with the release of SS Rajamouli's 'Baahubali 2: The Conclusion', which made more than Rs 500 crore in India alone, putting the country on world map. But, its breakthrough moment came with the most non-Telugu movie ever made - Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s black comedy drama - Arjun Reddy. 

Made on a budget of just Rs 12 crore and starring a then relatively new Vijay Deverakonda, Arjun Reddy set a new benchmark for Telugu cinema. Right from its music to the treatment of story, the film had an air of freshness with it. This was probably one of the reasons why no one expected Arjun Reddy to make an impact. But, the film broke the shackles and traditions of commercial Telugu cinema.

Touted as the modern adaptation of Devdas, Arjun Reddy went on to make more than Rs 50 crore worldwide with about Rs 32 crore of that coming from Andhra box office. What was amusing to see was that the film managed to gross Rs 11.60 crore in the United States, underlining the demand for such films. 

Now, Shahid Kapoor is set to reprise the role in the Hindi version of the film releasing this Friday. Written and directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Arjun Reddy starred Shalini Pandey as Vijay's love interest, a role Kiara Advani is playing in the Hindi adaptation. The trailer of the film has gone well with the movie lovers and Kabir Singh is releasing amid high buzz. Also, there is no competition at the box office. Salman Khan's Bharat has already exhausted and no other big release is lined up for this week. This should reflect in Kabir Singh's opening weekend collection. 

But, can it re-create the magic of Arjun Reddy?

Shahid Kapoor has been in the industry for almost sixteen years now and his track record in solo leads isn't great. The maximum actor has managed to mint is Rs 65 crore with R Rajkumar. His last solo lead release Batti Gul Meter Chalu was also a box office disaster. The actor did taste success with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's multi-starrer Padmaavat but would want a solo hit to his name. 

Kabir Singh could help Shahid enter the Rs 100 crore club. 

Film Critic and Trade analyst, Sumit Kadel told Zee Business Online that Shahid Kapoor is looking tough on screen and the movie is expected to grab attention of youth. "As far as the opening business is concerned, it can easily collect Rs 11 to Rs 12 crores on its release day," he had added. 

Going by the promos, director Sandeep Vanga has kept the essence of Arjun Reddy intact in Kabir Singh and it should work in the film's favour too. Also, the music is an instant hit among the youth. All these factors combined hint at a major hit. If the film releases to positive word of mouth, the collections go further up during the weekend.