Kapoor and Sons (2016) Review!!

Synopsis – A story revolving around a dysfunctional family of two brothers who visit their parents and grandfather in Coonoor, and end up falling for the same woman.

My Take – What a pleasant surprise! That was my instant reaction as soon as the end credits of this Karan Johar produced & Shakun Batra directed film rolled in. This family drama is another addition to the recent feel good films with close to reality reservation based endings, with films such Dil Dhadakne Do, Hasee Toh Phasee, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Queen, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and director Batra‘s very own very passable debut film Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. All these movies explore the anxieties, complications and tensions that govern romance and family through a combination of realism and wish fulfillment. Their characters are more ruffled and layered and therefore more credible than their La La Land predecessors. The arguments and quarrels are delivered in tones associated with normal humans rather than creatures of the opera. The songs remain, but they are often relegated to the background. This film, while being humorous as well, delivers on what most films fail to do – sting the emotions of our hearts powerfully. The best part about the movie is that it sticks to its title. The story remains between the family in its run time of 132 minutes of drama, comedy and romance. Following the struggles, inhibitions, lies and love and sacrifices of the sons. The story follows a not so perfect family, where each of these members have their own flaws. When Rahul (Fawad Khan) and Arjun (Sidharth Malhotra) return to their Coonoor house after their grandfather Amarjeet Kapoor (Rishi Kapoor) has a heart attack, skeletons start tumbling out of closets.

Dad aka Harsh (Rajat Kapoor) and Mom aka Sunita (Ratna Pathak Shah) seem to be bickering all the time, and the already fragile relationship between the parents and the children becomes even more strained when they are all in the house together. Rahul, a successful novelist living in London, is remarkably mature. Arjun is the black sheep of the family, the one who was never good enough and is always falling short of Rahul’s “perfect” standards. He floats from one job to the other while harboring dreams of becoming an author himself. The two brothers usually don’t see eye to eye and their separate encounters with Tia (Alia Bhatt), the girl next door, makes the equation more complicated. Things come to a head one rainy afternoon as the Kapoors get ready for a family portrait to fulfill the grandfather’s wishes. The entire concept, of this imperfect, dysfunctional family & the secrets within them, has a terrific undercurrent of emotions. While the first-hour is light in tone & also keeps space for some great jokes, the second-hour shifts into serious family drama, but the shift in the mood, never slows down the momentum. In fact, the film strengthens even more as it progresses & you begin to feel for the characters a lot more. In most films, this triangle would have taken center stage, but Shakun Batra, the director, is more interested in how the Kapoor family is cracking wide open. And boy, does it crack. Smaller arguments keep flaring up until finally, the sheer weight of grievances and resentments accumulated comes crashing down on the Kapoors. Even as the characters lose control, the film never relinquishes it. Shakun Batra & Ayesha Devitre Dhillon‘s screenplay is tremendous. The writing is genuinely great, as this story flows wonderfully & ends, on a very high emotional note. There is enough scope for the emotional bits, comedy, some romance & of course drama to work well all together. Editor Shivkumar Panicker’s cross-cutting is often effective, especially when it’s working in tandem with the fleet, cutting script, by Batra and Ayesha DeVitre. Unlike other dysfunctional family films such as Finding Fanny and Dil Dhadakne Do, I didn’t care for just some of the characters, I felt for all of them. They are monumentally messed up, but it’s the messiness of real life, with a little Dharma gloss on top. Although the nicks-but-no-deep cuts approach, also seen in Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), doesn’t help the movie realize its ambitions, the film works best when it isn’t trying to be something else. The characters are nicely observed and chime well with each other, and the relaxed moments don’t feel as forced as the overwrought ones. The story is not just about this family but all the issues or situations one would face in their everyday life.

Most importantly it is about the pressure an Indian kid faces from his/her family to be perfect, successful and everything great. The unbearable expectations the family puts on a child is shown really well. The conversational dialogue, also written by Batra and Ayesha DeVitre Dhillon, always rings true, whether it’s Arjun wooing the blithe spirit that is Tia or Rishi Kapoor’s grandfather declaring his love for the actress Mandakini in Ram Teri Ganga Maili (an in-joke about the notorious movie directed by Kapoor’s father, Raj Kapoor). The music by Amaal Mallik, Badshah, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, and Tanishk Bagchi are good enough to set in the mood of the characters. The film boasts of fabulous performances from its cast. Fawad Khan is seen in a very good yet different role and it is far from any typical Bollywood characters we have seen for ages. Fawad Khan does a remarkable job, enacting a difficult role with flourish. His low-key charisma works for his character and makes a nice contrast while sharing an excellent chemistry with the likes of Malhotra. Sidharth Malhotra is natural & portrays a rather sympathetic part with confidence. Interestingly its the second time in a row he has a played an unappreciated sibling (Brothers) for the same production house. Ratna Pathak Shah is flawless as the long-suffering woman of the house. Rajat Kapoor is first-rate as the hard to like father/husband. Alia Bhatt is as usual a delight onscreen and performs with such ease that you can’t take your eyes off her. Her smile alone is worth your ticket. And at last but not the least, Rishi Kapoor is adorable as the grandpa, who is unmistakably naughty & also the sweetest of his bloodline. As the naughty grandpa he is a delight to watch! On the whole, ‘Kapoor & Sons (Since 1921)’ is a delight to watch! With perfect emotions, good humor, excellent direction & superb performances backing the film up, this film is treat for every moviegoer.