Shahid Kapoor says Sandeep Reddy Vanga once planned a Kabir Singh and Animal crossover, reveals why it didn’t work out

Shahid Kapoor hasn’t completely shut the door on the idea of a Kabir Singh and Animal crossover, saying it totoally depends on the director Sandeep Reddy Vanga.

Looks like the Kabir Singh chaos nearly spilled into Animal. Actor Shahid Kapoor has revealed that Sandeep Reddy Vanga had once floated the idea of slipping his character into Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, and the two even met to explore it. The plan, however, didn’t take off due to scheduling snags. Tha

Shahid Kapoor's Kabir Singh was released in 2019, while Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Animal was released in 2023.

That said, Shahid hasn’t completely shut the door on the idea, hinting that a crossover could still be on the cards as both the universes belong to Vanga.

Shahid Kapoor on Kabir Singh–Animal Park crossover

During an interview with Dainik Bhaskar, Shahid addressed fan speculation about a possible Kabir Singh crossover in Animal Park. He revealed that the idea had, in fact, been briefly discussed when Sandeep Reddy Vanga was working on Animal.

Shahid said, “Jab Animal bhi ban rahi thi (when Animal was being made), actually Sandeep had come to meet me. He wanted one scene of Kabir to be there in that, but woh ho nahi paaya (it couldn’t happen). Toh unke man mein ye thought tha. But wo ho nahi paaya. Kuch dates ka issue ho gaya, koi dusra issue ho gaya (He had this thought in his mind, but it couldn’t happen because of date issues and other issues). But yes, he had said that I want one scene. Phir wo hua nahi. (Then it didn’t happen).”

Shahid further said that since both Kabir Singh and the characters from Animal are creations of Vanga, any potential crossover in the future would be entirely up to him.

“Wo dono characters unke hain, wo duniya unki hai. Toh unke saath unko jo man mein aayega karne ke liye, wo karenge. (Both those characters belong to him, that world is his. So whatever he feels like doing with them, he’ll do)," added Shahid.

In the past, Vanga had shared the reason why dropped the idea of the crossover when he joined Game Changers podcast. He said, “I felt I don't want to go into cameo desperacy. I thought that we are creating this reality zone but it shouldn't be like a presentation scene. For entertainment, add music and bring Kabir Singh. I was 50-50. For two days, I was completely convinced, 'Let's do it'. After that, I said no. It's such a serious discussion, doctors are saying your heart is gone, lungs are gone, kidneys are gone. Unke beech mein agar Kabir aayega toh bohut light hoga (If Kabir steps in here, the matter will become very light). Jo suffering hai (The suffering)...the discussion will not be very realistic if I get a filmy character in a film.”

About Kabir Singh and Animal

Shahid's Kabir Singh was released in 2019. While the film worked well at the box office, it was panned by critics for putting the spotlight on the toxicity of a relationship by showing a couple slapping each other. In Kabir Singh, Shahid played an aggressive lover. Kiara Advani was cast opposite him in the film.

Meanwhile, Vanga's Animal was released in December in 2023. The film ignited a fierce debate upon its release, with critics and audiences divided over its portrayal of masculinity and violence. The Ranbir Kapoor-starrer went on to become a blockbuster, even after it was slammed for promoting male toxicity. It revolves around a troubled father-son relationship. It has Ranbir Kapoor in the role of Rannvijay Singh, who goes on to take revenge after there's an assassination attempt on his father. The film also stars Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna, Triptii Dimri and Anil Kapoor in pivotal roles. Vanga will revisit the world with its sequel, which has been titled Animal Park.