Director: Shakun Batra
Starring: Rishi Kapoor, Ratna Pathak Shah, Alia Bhatt,
Siddharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan
There are no perfectly happy families. Happiness is not the
usual state of any human for that matter. And yet we seek that most fervently,
and hide behind the façade that keeps getting stronger, with each layer, each
compromise, each forced smile, each lie.
Secrets, don't we all have them. No relationship is hundred
percent transparent, and sometimes, secrets are kept from the ones we love the
most to protect them… and at times for selfish reasons… Secrets which can
destroy a family. That is when relationships are tested… will they survive?
Shakun Batra brings to us a family that in one word is
Dysfunctional, where everyone is trying very hard to “Function”.
The notion of a family, a normal Indian family… with a
doting mother, a father who is the provider, elders who are now leading a
sedate life, kids who are devoted and follow the path shown by their parents..
We are conditioned to believe our parents can do no wrong. We put them on
pedestals. They also try and fit in the defined role models... expecting their progeny to fit in too… with expectations and plans
for their perfect future.
But human.. ah… that’s
what they all are, individuals buried under the expectations, trying to fit in the
mould, flawed, jagged, broken. And here lies the tale of Kapoor and Sons.
Dadu (Rishi Kapoor) who play acts his death so much that no
one now really pays attention when he pretends to die at the breakfast table,
the son (Rajat Kapoor) continues doing his accounts and his wife (Ratna Pathak
Shah) continues nagging him about his inability to earn.
The equations are set from the opening scene itself. What
they didn’t see coming was an actual heart attack. Dadu is admitted to the
hospital and the sons Rahul (Fawad Khan) and Arjun (Sidharth Malhotra) are
called back to Coonoor. And slowly we realise nothing is functioning in this
family relationship-wise. The brothers have a history, their relationship
strained. Rahul seems to be the apple of the eye of both the parents, a son
that can do no wrong. Arjun on the other hand seems to be a constant
disappointment, especially to the father. The bickering parents only add to the
tension, and then there is Dadu, who despite being bed ridden at the ripe old
age of 90, in contrast to everyone is full of zest, a joie de vivre. He has two
wishes he wants his grandsons to fulfill, an Army burial after his death and a
Family photograph with all present, before he dies. His other son is traveling and they all await
his and his family’s arrival. Meanwhile Dadu’s 90th birthday is
coming up, a big party is planned. Enter Tia (Alia Bhatt) who owns an estate
and is briefly visiting to sell it off. She bumps into Arjun, and they
instantly strike it off. She also meets a prospective buyer of her estate, who
turns out to be Rahul. She hits it off with him too!! A love triangle seems to
emerge… while all the romance and bonhomie is happening.. layers are unfolded..
We get to know why Rahul and Arjun cannot be in the same room without a fight
erupting, what is troubling their parents’ marriage, what is the guilt of the mother and the reality of a son... and many more secrets that
threaten to come tumbling out. As we go deeper and deeper into the truth of
each character… we realise nothing is what it seems to be.
Without going into spoilers, let me just say, some of the
plot twists are predictable, yet by that time you are so invested that they affect
you nonetheless. As each character’s struggle, emotional curve is revealed, you
wonder whether this family will remain one… will that family portrait will ever be clicked, because they just don’t seem to fit in any frame, the distance between
them too much…
On the acting front, the force that is Ratna Pathak Shah is
unleashed in all its glory. You love her, you hate her, you cry with her… A
performance that left me in awe. Fawad Khan is a discovery for me. He also made
a very brave choice playing the character he did. Bollywood heroes with their
images to maintain would have shied away from it, well most of them. He brings
the character of a troubled writer, who is stuck after a first hugely
successful novel… not a word coming out of him to page. Sidharth Malhotra plays
the vulnerable younger brother well, who feels no one cares for him, that he is
always going to be a lesser son, a loser in the eyes of his father, a writer
who is yet to publish, but is weighed down by blocks of his own. They both share great chemistry, and their scenes together are believable and feel real. Alia is good,
but frankly for me her track was just padding, not really important to the main
story of the film. But she does bring oodles of fresh energy and charm to the
going ons. Rajat Kapoor is controlled and in fine shape, his and Ratna’s scenes
crackle, his craft shines through subtly. Their marriage so real, a couple so
believable… a rare thing to see. Coming to Rishi Kapoor, he is playing himself
I thought, cheeky, naughty and unabashed. He is having a ball and it is
obvious. What touches you is his turn towards the end... And I must admit, I cried many a times... thinking of each one of them, their fate at the hand of human folly.
The story is fresh in the Indian context, though I could
clearly see influences of many films. It
loses pace at times, but delivers well. The dialogues are delightful.
Well done Shakun Batra. You have put life in each scene... a director in superb control.
GO meet this family!
My verdict : 3/5
