by Rajat Srivastav
written on March 17, 2016 - 6 pm EST.
Kapoor and Sons... Family SWOT !!
Well... I started guessing, Is it a romcom? a family melodrama, a teary tale, a bromance , a brotherhood or a love triangle?... Is it like yeh dillagi or perhaps Dillagi (both so same). None of these actually as it challenges so many myths!
Its soul is completely English and the body is pure Dharma. It tries to break all conventions by not letting itself latched onto any of the above genres.
So the story which looked so predictable at first glance overwhelms with layered subtle plots waiting to unfold in front of your eyes; and when you start immersing with each sub plot,the best part is that you don't know who's side to take, be it the budding triangle or the brother or the warring couple but of course the lovable naughty at ninety something Grandpa, all you know this is something you are cherishing.
Sheer Dharma ingenuity coupled with the charm of an age old Hollywood familial types playing on Romedy Now. That's how I would like to keep it at.
Reasons to go for it...Perfect locations , wonderful screenplay, lilting tunes, some wonderful performances , moments full of rejoice and glum, original story , Fawad Khan and a hmm.. Yaa, Siddarth Malhotra too.
Flaws aplenty? Not really as it tends to run out of the jokes. The drama rejoices you but with an undercurrent of uneasiness and tensions which keeps you hooked onto the Kapoor family. It's real that you relate to it right from scene 1. K3G brothers - bench moments are replaced by a few bed moments, car moments and smoke moments between brothers here. Best part you never get to know who the elder one here is.
Ali Bhatt as the teenage trying to be woman fits her part as the outsider to family but internal in the movie tries to perk it up whenever it falls short on energy.
Rishi Kapoor plays the catalyst who turns gloom into joy and sometimes gives in to the tears. What a legend? What a makeover? What an actor?? Oops went the Kapoor way. The Anil Kapoor way! He is the actual patriarch of Kapoors as he dictates terms right from take 1.
Siddarth Malhotra gives his best till date. He looks completely involved and looks every inch Arjun Kapoor. Ohh don't confuse with the Ki and Ka wala Kapoor. His character is called Arjun Kapoor.
Ratna Pathak gets a meaty role as she becomes Fawad's mom second time in Fawad's Bollywood career. But you cannot get her eyes off her performance and her expressions. and and and Rajat Kapooor (No prizes for guessing which word appears the most in this passage) is as reliable as usual.
But please welcome back Fawad Khan who continues to charm after Khoobsurat and if shown the right career path, he shall make it quite big here. His confidence, mannerisms and emotions are bespoke for his Rahul.
Well there's a character called Boobly ... Yes that's the name as the movie makes no qualms about being quite honest and open minded about a lot of stuff one finds uneasy.
But after all this , it will still lack that universal appeal and might fell short on potential - At best it remains Shakun's best job as he's known for creating unusual endings. The novel publisher in the movie hints at it too!
Go for it. Quite well-made though wobbly post interval. But watch it for Boobly !
***1/2 stars
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6