By Murtaza Ali Khan (@apotofvestiges)
Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews
 |
| Kapoor & Sons (2016) - By Shakun Batra |
Our Rating: 7.5
IMDb Ratings: 8.7
Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Fawad Khan, Alia Bhatt
Country: India
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 132 min
Color: Color
Kapoor & Sons is a 2016 Hindi drama film co-written and directed by
Shakun Batra. Produced by Karan Johar under the banner of Dharma Productions, Kapoor
& Sons stars an ensemble cast that includes the likes of Rishi Kapoor,
Ratna Pathak, Rajat Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan, and Alia Bhatt. The
movie revolves around a dysfunctional upper class Punjabi family residing in
the hill station town of Coonoor situated in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
 |
| Fawad Khan and Alia Bhatt in Shakun Batra's Kapoor & Sons (2016) |
Kapoor & Sons teaches us to enjoy the little moments in
life, for nothing lasts forever. It also reminds us of the importance of family
in our lives—something which most of us seem to take for granted. Kapoor & Sons
is essentially a film about human relationships and shows how severely our
lives can get impacted if they ever turned sour. And, just like the Murphy's
law, they do turn sour for the Kapoor family. Needless to say, the result is
catastrophic. Right from the very onset,
the family members appear to be treading on a landmine. When the family unites
for the first time in years, early on in the film, it doesn’t take us long to
discern the underlying tension, waiting to be released.
 |
| Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra in Kapoor & Sons (2016) |
Despite the clichéd plot setting (straight out of some Hollywood
family drama), Kapoor & Sons proves to be quite engaging at different
levels thanks to the refreshing treatment of the subject at hand. Full credit to Batra and team for beautifully weaving a modern-day family drama! Among a motley of memorable performances, it is Fawad Khan of 'Khuda Kay Liye' fame who
impresses the most with a touching multilayered portrayal of a flawed son who
is looked upon by his family as a paragon of perfection. Sidharth Malhotra, to
his credit, plays the part of the younger Kapoor sibling with reasonable conviction.
Alia Bhatt is once again type casted. But the good thing is that
she seems to have mastered the art of playing herself on the celluloid.
 |
| Ratna Pathak and Rajat Kapoor in Shakun Batra's Kapoor & Sons (2016) |
The performances
of Ratna Pathak and Rajat Kapoor are so good that one would be remiss to not
mention them. The sheer realism that the two thespians bring in is truly
commendable. Rishi Kapoor is delightful to watch in the role of the 90-year-old
Kapoor grandsire. Kapoor’s performance, loaded with tender and over-the-top moments
in equal parts, adds a lot of spark to the film. His constant blabberings, nonchalant outlook towards life, and playfully lecherous demeanour accentuate the comic appeal of his prosthetic look. Every now
and then, it succeeds in easing up the constantly brewing tension.
 |
| Rishi Kapoor's prosthetic look in Kapoor & Sons |
Overall, Kapoor & Sons is a touching family drama that
celebrates life by embracing the spirit of togetherness. Kapoor & Sons harks back to movies like Dil Dhadakne Do and Piku. Kapoor & Sons is quite high on
emotions and drama but there is hardly a superfluous moment. While the first half of
the movie is a great fun to watch, the second half slightly pales in comparison
but on a whole it makes for a memorable cinematic experience. There are moments
in the second half when the movie does get hyper, but even those moments never
really look forced, thanks to a taut screenplay and some very good acting on display. Kapoor & Sons offers cent percent entertainment but beyond that it also serves
as a powerful lesson on the importance of relationships in our lives.
Readers, please feel free to share your views/opinions in the comment box below. As always your insightful comments are highly appreciated!
References:
Kapoor & Sons (2016) Trailer
People who liked this also liked...
For the sake of our own family name... Desh and I have decided to watch this movie :-p
ReplyDeleteGreat review... thank you for sharing :-)
Cheers, Archana - www.travelwitharchie.com
Glad you liked it... thanks for sharing your thoughts! :-)
ReplyDeleteReally loved your review.... The best thing about the movie would be how all the people gel with each other (pun intended) and how you can relate this with any family you see outside.... Some sort of emotions you only get to see in Bollywood movies
ReplyDelete