2 States Movie Reviews

2 States

Genre: Romantic-Comedy

Director: Abhishek Verman

Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Ronit Roy, Amrita Singh etc. 

Synopsis: A Punjabi lad falling in love with a Madrasi lass and the ensuing complications – the basic premise of 2 States is as old as the hills. The best example of the cross-cultural romance remains Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981), where Kamal Hassan and Rati Agnihotri scorched the screen with their passion. In today’s day and age, should we even bother with such a subject, as cosmopolitan marriages are becoming the norm rather than novelty? Well, we should, as human prejudices never really go away and need to be reexamined regularly. It’s a basic human tendency that one group of men will consider themselves to be superior to another and even the so called modern, educated folk still fall into that trap. The film touches upon such facts but also points out that given time and effort, we can rise above the differences. Another home truth brought out by the film is that they might irritate us to hell but parents love us in a complex, uncomprehending ways. 

Review:Krish Malhotra (Arjun Kapoor) and Ananya Swaminathan (Alia Bhatt) meet at the IIM Ahmedabad and instantly connect. He’s a clean cut Punjabi munda at odds with his father. She’s a chulbuli Tam Bram who likes chicken tikka and beer. The usual college friendship leads to the friends-with-benefits arc. In between, they discover love and decide to get married. That’s where things get complicated as they don’t want to elope but want to get hitched with their parents’ blessings. How they go about getting their folks around that difficult bend and go through their own relationship niggles forms the crux of the story.

Thankfully, we are spared the usual mush and things are kept more or less in control. The opinion of both sets of parents doesn’t miraculously change overnight. The insecurities and the anxieties take time to thaw. The best part of the film is the awkward relationship between Krish and his overbearing, abusive, alcoholic father, played superbly by Ronit Roy. The undercurrent of anger mingled with genuine love is as real as it gets. Amrita Singh too is a delight as the loud Punjabi mother who has come to terms with her failed marriage and doesn’t want her son to go the same way. She comes across as a real person rather than a caricature. You understand her pain and forgive her the transgressions she makes into her son’s life. Revathy, by contrast, is more subtle and restrained as Alia’s mother. She says much with little gestures, using her eyes, as always, to convey much. Shiv Subramaniyam as the laconic father, a career banker who hates his own hometown and drinks on the sly is good as well.

Arjun and Alia have shown a certain growth as actors. They essay their characters with natural ease, not giving in to playing larger-than-life lovers that usually is the staple of Hindi films but taking pains to sound like real people caught in a complicated situation. Arjun’s character arc is more complex but he hardly stumbles as the rebellious son or the concerned boyfriend. Alia once again shows why she’s the bright young thing everyone's been rooting for. Working with such powerhouses as Amrita Singh and Revathy seems to have rubbed off on her. Her combination scenes with the two seniors are a pleasure to watch and she emerges as a better actor in the process.

The film is another testimony to the changing times at Dharma Productions. Business-wise, they have tied up with Nadiadwala Grandsons and its a leap of faith for both the production houses to let go of old norms and boldly set new trends. We need more such collaborations as they spell exciting times ahead for cinema.

This films is humorous take on inter community marriages in Inida.