Adapted from Chetan Bhagat’s novel with the same name and directed by First-timer Abhishek Verman , 2 States manages to keep you entertained for the whole time, even with numerous small glitches in the story adaptation on the big screen. But if you are willing to kick away the stereotyping and a little out-of-place logic, then it sure is refreshingly entertaining.

The masaledar love story with peppy songs for company, amazing cinematography and the chemistry between the lead pair of Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt makes it worth the watch.

The idea of the story revolves around the typical Indian setting on how two youngsters who fall in love and then try to convince their parents for their marriage. The problem is, our boy is Punjabi while the girl is Tamilian. This “convincing-the-parents” part goes through a whole lot of cultural differences melodrama, which is fun to watch.

The lead pair has a good chemistry brewing between them. Although Arjun is the one who narrates the story and is kind of his-version, Alia sure steals the show. Not just for the ease with which she manages to change in each of the frames but how effortlessly she makes herself look convincing as a Tamilian without any fuss. Arjun isn’t bad either, but Alia scores over him.

The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy suits the refreshing young feel of the movie and even the background score makes many of the scenes click. Cinematography takes the whole movie a notch higher, especially the way the weddings have been shot. Casting has been done beautifully. While Amrita Rao (Arjun’s mother) becomes the typical Punjabi maa throwing about tantrums and emotional blackmailing then and now, Ronit Roy (Arjun’s Dad) brings in the drunk-dad-with-issues back on screen after his much memorable performance in Udaan. Alia’s parents (Mom played by Revathi and Dad played by Shiv Kumar Subramaniam) have little to do in the movie comparatively but they do justice to whatever they are part of.

The biggest problem with the movie might be to bring in everything from the book. It is good if a reader watches it, who might understand most of the details, but for a non-reader certain scenes might never make sense. Same happens with 2 states, like the absence of a big conflict which might break their relationship or why his mother is so obnoxiously loud or his dad’s back-story seemed to have been squeezed in.

Nevertheless, if you just through all these above thoughts out, you would surely end up enjoying the 150-odd minutes of the movie, filled with some good laughs (stereotypical maybe) and if you get the connection right, you’ll love it too.

I’m going with a 3/5 for 2 states. Maybe it’s more fun to watch if you’ve read the book.

Ek kahaani bachpan ki…

By farooq

On April 17, 2014

In Fiction & Poetry, Random Philosophy

Ek kahaani bachpan ki

Nange panv khelte khelte koi keel ghuns gayi uske pair me, thoda chubha aur wo zor se chilla baitha. Saath me uske saathi achanak se uski taraf aa khade hue. Keel lambi si hi. Aur bechare Kaleem ka chehra chota sa, upar se uska zor zor se rona. Kaafi vichar-vimarsh ke baad, Raju ne keel nikaal dene ki thaani. Usi beech koi bheed me “tetnus” ke kayi suyian lagne ki bhi baat kar raha tha. To koi Kaleem ke chappal na pehenne ko lekar kuch keh raha tha.

Raju ne jaise hi kaleem ka pair apne haathon me liya, wo aur zor se chillane laga. “Ammi ammi” jaisi koi aawaz nikal rahi thi uski mukh se. Kafi parishram ke upraant, ek jhatke se raju ne surkh ho chuki wo lambi keel nikaal daali. Saath hi me maano khoon ka baandh bhi khul sa gaya ho jaise. Apne jeb se raju ne rumaal nikaala aur baand daala uske pair pe.

Ghar wapas pahunchne par, ammi ki thodi daant aur fir doctor saahab ke paas dher saari suiyon ki thodi aur takleef uthate hue Kareem ka kuch dinon ka aaram shuru hua.

Saalon baad kaleem chal pada tha kisi bade shaher me padhai karne. Naya shahar, naye dost aur saath nayi koi zindagi. Chuttiyon me raju aur baaki gaanv ke doston se mulakaat zaroor hoti, par dheere dheere chuttiyan bhi kam hogayi, aur milna bhi. Ab kaleem bina chappal ke to door, jooton aur gaadiyon ke ilava zameen me pair hi nahi rakhta tha.

Yun to kaleem ne raju ke prati koi khaas bartaav me tabdeeli na kit hi, par fir bhi ab baa two pehle jaisi na thi. Kabhi dekha to “hi, hello” zaroor hota, par kabhi use zyada aage kuch na badhta. Kaleem shayad ye sochne laga ki chunki dono hi ab alag alag tareekon ki jeevan-shaili ke aadi ho chuke hain, kuch raha nahi baat karne ko. Wahin Raju ke dimaag me bhi yehi baat hi daudti thi.

Ye upar jo maine “Ek kahaani bachpan ki” batane ka prayas kiya hai, koi anutha kissa nahi, balki ham sabhi ke jeevan ka ek aham hissa hai. Sabhi log is tarah ki kisi na kisi paristhithi se zaroor guzarte hain. Hum ye sochke kuch nahi karte ki shayad saamne waala aise sochta hoga, wahin shayad wo saamne waala vyakti bhi isi vichaar dhaara ka shikaar hojaata hai.

Kisi bhi rishte me chaahe kisi bhi tarah ka agar koi badlaav aata hai, to wo hamare nazariye ke chalte aata hai. Ye zaroor hai ki samay ke saath hamari zarooraten badalti rehti hain, aur usse rishton me badlaav aana swaabhavik hai, kinto badlaav ka matlab ant nahi hota.

Bachpan me ek dost ne, jise shayri ekkatrit karne ka bada shauk tha, kuch kaha tha jo mujhe abhi bhi yaad hai. “Kona kona mat chalo.. kona toot jayega.. naye se dosti mat karo.. purana chhoot jaega”

Aisa nahi hai ki hame naye dost nahi banana chahiye, par ye zaroor hai ki ham nayon me itne hi na magan hojayen ki puranon ko bhool hi jayen.

Jeevan ke kuch chuninda anubhavon ke aadhar pe itna to gyaat hai ki bachpan me jo mitrata banti hai wo bina kisi prayaas ya koi faayda ko dhyan me rakhke banti hai.

To kaisi lagi aapko ye “Ek kahaani bachpan ki” ?

(Ek aur hindi kahaani: Sameer ki Atlas cycle, zaroor padhiega)

Blank.

By farooq

On April 16, 2014

In Random Philosophy

It’s blank.

A blank document to start writing with. How I wish, I could just start off my life afresh just like this blank document. A fresh start. A clean slate. Call it whatever, but yes a part of me wishes at this moment that I could do that.

It is said, we learn from our mistakes, from our decisions, experiences. All true.

A fair share of my learning is from these experiences, mistakes and decisions. Their share is so much; that I wonder what would have happened if I had counted them all.

Khair, it has been tough. But then life gives lemons to everyone. It is what you do with those lemons that actually count.

Nobody is untouchable to troubles. It is that universal “gift” which is added to our grocery list regularly. More regularly than the “Eclairs” which is now the undoubted substitute for all the change the retailer has to give back to you.

The vague purpose in everyone’s life is a reminder of how uncertain we ourselves make our lives to be. It’s understood that a lot of it is out of bounds for us, but life still gives us moments where we choose. Moments, where we make decisions. Decisions, which have consequences and ones which we shouldn’t repeat if the similar ones haven’t gone down well in the past.

But then, Welcome to the complicated idea called life (More complicated than Women).

Life, as we try knowing more about it, changes.

I’ve always tried taking control of these changes that happen in life. Planning is one thing, having a backup plan is another, which had created the illusion of me, having taken control of many of these changes.

When realization struck (pretty hard), I guess it was too late (An optimistic voice in me still shouts, “Is it?”).

Even the smallest of our decisions have their impacts. We don’t realize them at that point in time, but when the moment of truth comes knocking. It all adds up, and many a times it is not a rosy picture that gets painted in front of our eyes.

It is all confusing, whether to think before we do even the simplest of things or just go with the flow. If you are confused too, then don’t look at me for answers, coz I ain’t got any. No one’s got any. It is we, who make our choices and we have to live with it. We may rue, we may crib and do 100 odd things just to get that feeling out from our systems, but that is all what we’ve got.

I started writing with a blank document and now finishing with words. And yet, as ironic as it may sound, I’m still blank. I’m empty.