After Piku and Dil Dhadakne Do, now Kapoor & Sons cements the fact that dysfunctional families have arrived in our mainstream cinema. This is far from sugar coated Hum Aapke Hai kaun, where gaudily dressed bunch of men n women are plotting how to camouflage shoes in a box of sweets. Here an angry wife literally throws biscuits on her husband because she can't stand the thought of him being with another woman - she's not shy or subtle about her rage in a so called family gathering. That this should come from the same banner who once famously told us, "it's all about loving your family", is a fitting testimony to how far Bollywood has come within a few decades. Bravo! (Alternate title: Hum Aapke kyu hain?)
Ratna Pathak Shah and Rajat Kapoor are the Kapoor parents, who can't have a conversation without fighting. Be it over a breakfast table, or instructing a plumber - each must prove the other incapable. Why? Perhaps even they can't tell anymore.
Siddhart Malhotra and Fawad khan are the Kapoor sons who you can tell were great friends in childhood. But sibling rivalry - some genuine, some self induced, has forced them apart. Both in separate corners of the world, both writers - one struggling because of the other.
So when the motley bunch comes together to fulfill the grandfathers request, there is tension galore in the humble abode. Add to the mix a chirpy Alia Bhatt, whose drunk escapade leads to a triangle between the brothers.
The film thrives on chemistry and the lack of it and the cast is in perfect sync. They're the family next door. Smiling, trying to party, trying to be nice in public but constantly on the edge. A family that has come together after 5 years, has a lot share, a lot to hide and a lot that can't/shouldn't be hidden anymore. Affairs, alternative lifestyle choices, vulnerabilities that have snowballed into complexes, and even a promiscuous night out with a local hottie. So much is in the unsaid that you can empathise with each of the flawed character.
It's an unconventional family drama that deals with mature subplots with sensitivity that is rare to Bollywood. Again, that this comes from a banner that thrived on sexual stereotypes, that one must praise this heartfelt attempt to portray a real character - the core of the film, who is scared, tired and yet, strong and independent. Fawad Khan takes the cake with a solid rendition as Rahul, the perfect (?) son - a character with subtle nuances. His delicate yet potent conversations with his mother, brother and father in the second half are tear jerkers. Hardly a dry eye in the auditorium.
The rest of the cast, is just as good. An almost perfect ensemble. Alia is a delight, Ratna Pathak Shah and Rajat Kapoor sink into their characters with effortless ease as ever, and an almost unrecognisable Rishi Kapoor is a sweetheart of a grandfather, full of life even as he awaits death. Watch him excitedly talk of his lust for the semiclad Mandakini of Ram Teri Ganga maili - hilarious. Sidharth Malhotra, while mostly credible is yet to pass with flying colours from the Karan Johar school of acting. He'll be there soon. So near.
Director Shakun Batra with co writer Ayesha Devitre Dhillon deserve credit for making the most sensitive family drama of recent times. There's no melodrama and nothing incredulous either. It's an art to capture real conversations without sounding too mundane on one hand and loud or garish on the other. The writer and director walk the thin line with expert finesse. Extra extra extra brownie points for the scene with the plumber where each character takes centre stage and stamps their authority, including the plumber ;).
It's such a good film. Watch it. Warning: you're bound to remember your brother, mother, father, grandfather through the film so keep the tissues and calling cards ready. :-)
4 star. I spent 300 bucks on the ticket. I think the money deserves it.
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