2 States, Hindi Bollywood Film movie Review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * 1/2
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2
States(Hindi) Rating: * * ½ About two
lovers striving to bridge the north-south divide through understanding and
patience. Abundant in traditional stereotypes, artifice and
inconsistencies yet pleasant and
engaging in parts.
Hindi Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Film: 2 States: Love Divided and pre-cured
Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amrita Singh, Ronit
Roy, Revathi,Shiv kumar Subramaniam
Director: Abhishek Verman
Rating: * * ½
Chetan Bhagat’s pulp novel ‘2 States’ was basically
a leaf out of his own life as an IIM , Ahmedabad student where he met and fell
in love with his wife. So it’s an identifiable story for the young generation
which is now seeing a steep rise in inter-caste, cross-culture, inter-religion
marriages. The couple central to this plot are both Hindus so religion is not
really central to their differences. He, Krish Malhotra (Arjun Kapoor) belongs
to the typical boisterous Punjabi family while She, Ananya(Alia Bhatt) comes
from a highly conservative, reserved Tam-Brahm family. They meet at IIM,
Ahmedabad where both are students- Ananya
is an Eco graduate while Krish is from the IIT. Krish and Annaya fall in
love, begin a sort of live-in relationship and then proceed towards making it a
full-time commitment. But they did not really foresee their respective parents’
objections. Not that there is any force being employed to separate the two,
here. The two want to get their families to concede ground to their
relationship and eventually accept their permanent togetherness. But that’s
easier said than done!
So while the first half concerns itself with getting
the two love-birds together, the second half is replete with traditional
stereotypes played out with artifice, in order to spell jeopardy in the
otherwise smooth relationship. As a consequence, Krish begins seeing a
psychological therapist for help. That is in fact the device that first-time
Director Abhishek Varman uses to tell us the story at hand. The back and forth
cutting is a bit confusing and there are times when the inconsistencies get
magnified because of that. Like when Krish admits he is suicidal. He sounds too
matter-of-fact and emotionless at that point and is unable to convey the
gravity of his dilemma. The divisive interplay also comes across as extremely
fake. Since the story is presented as contemporary and set in urban India, the
differences in attitude and behavior as per the respective northern and
southern cultures depicted here appears untenable. And especially because most
of the disengagement between the two families are played out publically. Disagreements
on the basis of cultural strictures are expected in such relationships but to
humiliate each other without just cause is really not that becoming. Amrita
Singh’s Mrs. Malhotra is a little overdone. We can’t figure out her
relationship with her husband(Ronit Roy) who appears to have walked in straight
out of ‘Udaan’ as the volcano-about-to-erupt father of Krish.
There is no
clear-cut justification for the yawning distance between Mr and Mrs Malhotra ,
other than a rudimentary dislike of her family(which doesn’t appear to have any
character traits that could justify such premeditated exclusion). Even Krish’s
relationship with his father , initially at cross-purposes and towards the
climax, conciliatory, doesn’t have any clear-cut reasoning other than
opportunism.
While the Malhotra family construction is pretty
much vague, Ananya’s is much clearer in definition. Her amateur classical
vocalist mother (Revathi) spouts Tamil whenever discomfited, while her Bank
officer father(Shiv Kumar) is reserved to the point of rudeness. And they make
it clear they just can’t bear to share the same space with Krish’s overly loud,
conniving and demanding mother. As for
the two young lovers, they create moments of togetherness that are quite
becoming. Both Arjun and Alia though sincere in their respective enactments,
can’t seem to find a range for their emotions. Their expressions remain very
nearly the same throughout.
Abhishek Verman’s script could have done better with a fresher outlook.
As faithful to Bhagat’s book as he could keep it, it tends to trip over on it’s
own contradictions. The scene where Ananya handles the last minute dowry demand
from Dinky’s soon-to-be-husband, is completely implausible. The intent might
have been aspirational but it comes across as just a little too artificial.
The set-up is also a little too unconvincing and
convoluted. It’s hard to fathom a once live-in couple, largely modern in their outlook, actually staying
away from public displays of affection and sex just to keep up appearances in front of their
parents. The conviction was simply lacking in this plotting. The music is
decent enough, the choreography is ok and the cinematography , quite eye
pleasing. There are of course pleasant engaging moments in the film, unfortunately
Varman doesn’t make any effort to steer it to any great heights!
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