arjun kapoor – Revering Thoughts

Director: Abhishek Verman

Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Alia bhat, Amrita Singh, Ronit Roy, Revathi

RunTime: 150 minutes

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.

Cast: Arjun kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Prithviraj, Sasha Agha

Director: Atul Sabharwal

Actors take a movie forward, of course with a good story to tell. And when an actor like Arjun Kapoor makes sure to strike all the right notes in the midst of other noteworthy performances, then the Movie is sure to turn out good.

The plot is interesting, and takes you in the middle of the land mafia-corporate-politician nexus in Gurgaon, which depicts how the situation is, not just in there but the whole of country. A real estate baron (Jackie shroff) who runs illegal business behind it, has a son Ajay (Arjun kapoor), who is arrogant and wild, a mistress in Neena (Amrita singh) who tries to keep this bad-boy image of Ajay alive by bringing in Sasha Agha as his girlfriend who will keep him “occupied”, so that Neena’s son could become the waaris of the whole business.

Sounds an 80’s drama, Salim-javed types?? Well, you are in for more. Director, Atul Sabharwal makes sure of that.

There’s a family of police officers, corrupt police officers, who have their “collection” racket going on behind the scene. The family has Rishi kapoor as the chacha while Sikander Kher plays his son, and Prithviraj plays the nephew, whose father(Anupam kher) used to be an honest policeman before an ugly encounter shamed his life. This “encounter” actually holds the ropes as to how the story would change and why the movie is named Aurangzeb!! The family tradition somehow reminds you of Godfather in many shades. The grey characterizations, keeping things away from their imaandaar son-in-law about their “collection business” and yet trying to keep the whole family together, would give you little reminder of Godfather!!

The story, in a nutshell, is about these two big families’ battle to gain control and how they are related to each other. And as is repeatedly said in the movie, “Kingship knows no kinship”, there are guns and bullets out there to clear the hurdles as well.

There are twists and turns in between, that is best left for you to experience rather than letting you all know. And even though, many of it might just look so filmy yet, it’s interesting to go with the pace with which it all happens.

Talking of the story, it is interesting. Barring a few loopholes which keep you grounded that this is a Bollywood flick. Other than that, the plot moves at a good pace, with good dialogues and screenplay add to the stories’ effectiveness.

Acting is pitch-perfect. While the biggies like Rishi kapoor and Jackie shroff have strongly put their case in important roles. Where you get to see the two side of a Real estate baron in the form of Jackie shroff, at the same time the police commissioner in Rishi kapoor again displays his darker side yet again after his amazing outing in Agneepath as Rouf Lala!!! Playing a villain is what this guy is loving to do more recently it seems. And we ain’t complaining either. He makes it so classy and natural. Be it the interrogation scenes that he will be a part of or the way he describes about Aurangzeb, its brilliance out there on display.

Prithviraj, well this guy sure did put on a lot of effort to gain in the linguistic skills ahead of this role, but none of it would be visible. Because what you see here is just great command over it. Be it the narration all along the movie, the way he emotes is just good. Being a police officer is what suits him and he shows no signs of being laid back either, delivering a punch with this performance.

But in the midst of this all, the one person, or should we say two?? Who makes a great impression is Arjun kapoor, who carries on his natural acting skills post Ishaqzaade to a new height. The two roles that he essays, although apart from the start and a few scenes in the end, there’s not much drastic difference between them. But whatever he has been part, he makes his own. From laughing out ridiculing others, from his dad to his mother, to being the innocent chap in between, he does it like he has been there like a veteran. One of the many good prospects in Hindi Cinema among the new crop of youngsters!

Surprisingly, the female lead, Sasha Agha (daughter of Pakistani actress Salma Agha) plays a role a glam doll yet leaves a little mark behind. Maybe with a bit longer role, we would be seeing more of her than just the hot body she has!! Yes, she does know how to act as well.

There was hardly any need for songs, and the filmmakers have taken note of this as well.

The movie does try to put efforts to the political-corporate nexus and how the administration is part of it. And the movie does end with a realistic message, “paisa bohot kama liya, ab Raub kamate hain”!

I am going with 3/5 for Aurangzeb, it’s interesting storytelling with good acting. Watch out for Arjun kapoor and Rishi kapoor!!

Tag: arjun kapoor

2 States: My Review

Aurangzeb : My review