It is difficult to watch “Kabir Singh” as a standalone film if you’ve watched “Arjun Reddy.” Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s new film is a scene-by-scene remake of his 2017 Telugu-language blockbuster, and much like his protagonist, its flaws are obvious to everyone but himself.

The entire film, just like the original, is dependent on and propelled by the performance of the star at the centre. And however good Shahid Kapoor might be in living the trauma and angst of the character, you still can’t get away from the sickening male entitlement.

Just like the man of the title, the director seems stuck in a moment he doesn’t want to get out of. Kabir Singh reimagines the Indian hero archetype in interesting ways, but its inability to even consider the flaws in its leading man’s romantic outlook is its undoing. Is masochism the flip side of machismo? Both movies seem to agree, but they never ask why.