KAPOOR & SONS (SINCE 1921): Perfectly Imperfect! [3.5/5]

It seems Bollywood has learnt its way to deal Indian families in films the way it should be. Chaotic, dramatic, relatable and real! With Shakun Batra’s KAPOOR & SONS (SINCE 1921), even Dharma Productions have come a long way. Forget Karan Johar’s all elite, genteel and heavenly prosperous families melting & merging patently into the equally overwhelming interiors inspired by latest interior design magazines! The characters here, in Shakun’s world, don’t really chew their words before spitting them out. On the contrary, they are loose out in the open to grind each other’s peace unabashedly. Backed up by good writing and even better direction skills, KAPOOR & SONS (SINCE 1921) marks the arrival of a totally fascinating and utterly dysfunctional ‘on-screen’ family you would love to see more of it.

In a picture-perfect locality of Coonoor, a 90-year old grandfather [Rishi Kapoor in his prosthetic best], out of boredom, is practicing his forthcoming event of death. The rest of the family hardly pays any attention to his gimmicks, until one severe heart attack takes its course of action sincerely. The grandsons are flying down from abroad. The family reunites but there’s nothing what it looks from the outside. Everyone in the family has something to hide, lie and complain about. The husband [Rajat Kapoor] has financial crisis eating his head. The wife [Ratna Pathak] suspects him of adultery. The elder son [Fawad Khan] is a successful novelist carrying unbearable mass of being his parent’s perfect son. The younger one [Siddharth Malhotra] accuses them for not being equally warm to him. And then, there is an inevitable chaos of inter-personal issues in the family that declines to settle down.

Shakun Batra scores most of his marks in the first half only where he introduces the all messed-up characters in the family one by one in a particular scene. Shakun gives us many delightful moments in the rest of the film but this one single scene never loses its impact on you. He hits the right note almost every time there is a conflict in waiting to take over the drama. Unfortunately, the comic elements don’t make you feel as satisfying. Shakun tries roughly everything from some ‘below the belt’ gags performed comfortably by the actors to some harmless yet discouraging ‘potty’ jokes. The plot dealing with real human behavior especially in the relationship of the brothers keeps you hooked till the very end. Siddharth playing the younger one sees Fawad- the elder one as his competition but the moments in which they share their warmth in the relationship are enough to celebrate. The writing constantly works against falling into the pit of predictability, despite some melodramatic approach towards the climax.

Alia Bhatt brings with her a certain kind of energy, innocence, humor and vivacity in spirit of the film. She excels in her introduction scene while playing almost herself and in one emotional sequence which is a complete letdown by comfortable writing but has Alia as a winner. Rishi Kapoor’s shameless, blatant and brash grandfather act is one of the most enjoyable. Ratna Pathak and Rajat Kapoor are a worthy addition to the cast providing a solid support throughout the film. Siddharth and Fawad both look incredibly charming on screen but Fawad steals the show with his strong hold in the moments where he has to express and expose his soul.

At the end, KAPOOR & SONS (SINCE 1921) is a family saga very distinct and dissimilar from Karan Johar’s typical design of Indian families. It’s not perfect. It’s not ideal but it’s real and relatable in its guts and will. I wish Shakun had finished it in same zeal and madness he had taken the start. Even then, it’s like one of those joint family photographs where not everyone is at his best but still, you would like to keep it with you. [3.5/5]    

DIL DHADAKNE DO: Parents, O Parents! A long family affair! [3.5/5]

An ideal family is a myth. Issues like gender discrimination, forceful implementations of the patriarchy power, constant manipulations over fake morality, compromises for the sake of saving relationships and a flair of hypocrisy even in the most sober looking character do lie in every family. It’s only a matter of time to experience what will surface and when. A dysfunctional family as they call it is nothing but an elaborated term for any family out in this world. Zoya Akhtar's DIL DHADAKNE DO offers you a chance for a paid visit to one of these 'dysfunctional' families.

Anil Kapoor plays the ‘self-made’ millionaire Mehra, who’s celebrating his 30^th marriage anniversary with Mrs. Mehra [Shefali Shah] on a cruise. The daughter Mehra [Priyanka Chopra] losing her surname now to her husband’s after marriage is irked with the invitation-card not carrying her name as a family-member. The son Mehra [Ranveer Singh] is trying his hard to fit in his father’s shoes. Along with some close friends and relatives, Mehras are out on loose on the cruise. Everything looks perfectly planned, well-designed, glossy, shiny and desirable until the real issues within the family start melting down all the plastics on the most beautiful looking faces on earth. The daughter Mehra wants to move in life and is now asking for a divorce. The son Mehra is blackmailed emotionally to marry the daughter of one of the possible business partners. The catch for the son Mehra is a private jet he finds his true love in. Parents, O parents!

Zoya Akhtar with Reema Kagti presents to you a gorgeous looking family you might wish to have in your next life but with the short and sour problems chances are you’re already facing in this very life. Who haven’t been preached all his life hearing the same-old struggle-story of his father from the horse’s mouth? Do mothers ever fail in ‘baby-ing’ the son even if he’s started dating hot babes? And then, there is this epic scheming side of the parents who are alive only to see their sons/daughters getting married. The best part is the Zoya-Reema duo doesn’t try to sink you in the murkiness of the situations but saves you with the quirk in dialogues and a flashy wit in the nature of the characters. Despite a certain kind of dreariness in the plot and the slacken off duration, film manages to keep you smiling for the most parts.

With a picturesque star-cast that looks like coming to a special edition magazine cover photo-shoot, DIL DHADKANE DO never actually has a dull frame. Even the brigade of supporting actors like Divya Seth Shah, Parmeet Sethi, Vandana Sajnani, Ridhima Sud, Vikrant Massey and Manoj Pahwa charmingly finds its place to rise and shine. Also Farhan, Priyanka, Rahul Bose and Anushka are branded names to come up with performances you can’t crib about but eventually DIL DHADAKNE DO finds its acting-giants in Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Shefali Shah. All of these three names have rediscovered themselves in their own way. Anil Kapoor’s performance as a suave, money-driven, self-centered, crude, controlling and calculative patriarch is terrific. Ranveer Singh surprises as well. Probably for the first time, he has brought something called subtly in his performance and it’s totally rewarding. Move over his ‘ever ready’ charged up energy assurance, here is an actor a lot more yet to be explored. Shefali Shah is brilliant and makes you wonder why Bollywood hasn’t given her yet what she deserves. Well done, Ma’am!

To conclude, DIL DHADAKNE DO suffers two major slip-ups. One being the length of the film of course and the other is the narration given by none other than Aamir Khan lending his voice to the younger Mehra of the family; a dog! Yes, you heard it right.  Now, this can be an ‘Aww’ moment for puppy-loving beauties but for the film, it does throw a fit of boredom on you. Watch out for some real ‘surprising’ performances and dialogue-driven humor! [3.5/5]