2 States

Based on a novel by Chetan Bhagat, 2 States aims to present a young love story marred by cultural differences, and the film is just about how two young students struggle to convince their clashing families to accept their relationship. The film is modern, pleasant and fun, and the premise could not be more interesting, but it's never genuine enough to be really taken notice of, mainly because everything is handled with a constant touch of corny sentimentality and an evident lack of conviction. Having said that, the film is quite enjoyable in spite of many of its flaws and despite the fact that one of its primary false notes is the relationship between the two main leads, which is totally unconvincing and lacking in depth. Then again, I think the film hardly manages to ever break away from what is essentially a stereotypical and outdated story, and not because of the story as much as the weak portrayal of the families. Something is missing there, everything is just very banal and superficial, and very rarely throughout the film do you really experience the beauty of the Punjabi or Tamil cultures, as conservative as they may be.

That said, it is there actually where the film is saved, simply because the supporting cast of senior actors gives great experience to their parts and does the most of what they are given. Well it goes without saying that Amrita Singh is the film's biggest asset since hers is both the funniest and most moving performance. She is the typical Punjabi mom at some instances, and the compassionate, dedicated person at others, doing everything with her strong screen presence. Ronit Roy is good albeit this is practically the same role he played in Udaan, which is not a good thing not only because of typecasting but also because this is not a very good film and here his character is lacking in development and has a change of heart which is too good to be true. Revathi delivers a fine, understated performance, and so does Shiv Kumar Subramaniam. Then we have the main lead, and they are just lost with so-so roles and have zero chemistry. Arjun Kapoor is expressionless, and while this might be the character, it just doesn't work and he comes across far too wooden for his own good. Alia Bhatt is bubbly and cute but is nothing to write home about.

2 States is not a very good film, but it is good entertainment. The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is not too memorable for me this time, but it is very pleasant to the ears and nicely carries the narrative forward. While I expected more from the young leads, the supporting cast more than makes up for that. All of them are let down by the predictably sugarcoated end, but let it be. This is just for fun, and it does provide it here and there and is a good watch for the family.

We all are quite familiar with movies which are based on novels, real- life stories, autobiographies etc. but few films exist which strikes the right chord! Many movies (in Bollywood) like 3 Idiots (2009), Kai Po Che (2013) have been adapted from novels of one masterpiece: Chetan Bhagat! He is the main reason behind the success of these movies and many others and again for the latest release of his novel "2 States" adaptation in Bollywood!! This movie is so wonderful and doesn't require any action scenes, over-the-top dialogues, old-typical themes etc. but the makers have given a remarkable effort with some minor changes as compared to the book!! So here we go:

Story: The story is beautifully crafted!! 2 people of different culture, different states fall in love with each other. But whether they know the consequences they would face when they would face the discomfort and the pressures when people talk of inter-caste liaison, the unyielding love and the resolve to win the parents' trust, each and every aspect with the emotions included! Will they succeed in convincing their parents to get married or will their relationship would get over is the main plot of this film.

Cast: Arjun Kapoor as Krish Malhotra is delightful!! After films like Ishaqzaade (2012) and Gunday (2014) where he has a goofy character, he truly succeeds in playing a sweet, simple kind of a guy who gives importance to his relationships! He charms and gives a meticulous performance! One of his finest performance till date!

Alia Bhatt as Ananya Subramanium is first-rate!! She is beautiful yet witty and gives a delightful performance as a Tamil-Brahmin girl!! Her chemistry with Arjun is electrifying! We can say that Alia has now became an evolved actress and she knows when to capture emotions at the right time!!

Amrita Singh as Krish's Mother is a revelation! She truly is fantastic as the typical Punjabi mother-in-law who justifies her role!! She steals the show in most of the scenes!!

Ronit Roy as Krish's Father is extraordinary!! He develops an antagonistic relationship with his son but he is remarkable!! Watch out for the twist that he would get in the 2nd half!

Shiv Subramanium and Revathy as Ananya's Father and Mother gives decent performances!! They are quite efficient!!

Direction: Director Abhishek Varman should deserve the Best Debut Director in next year's film awards! He truly strikes the right chord!! He gives an remarkable effort but capturing sweet melodramatic scenes and wonderful emotions which come during the course of the film!! Both he and Karan Johar (Producer) have wonderfully executed a delightful film!!

Music: The music of the film is exceedingly well!! The songs truly move you and will put a smile in your face!! Songs like "Locha-e-Ulfat" and "Offo" are best numbers which will make you groove along with it! "Mann Mast Magan" is a wonderful and top-notch song that steals your heart!!

On the whole, 2 States is one of those rare Hindi films which have came in a long time and had explored us the diverse cultures, melodramatic scenes, problems of inter-caste marriages but one thing knocks all of it: "Love"! It really empowers on all of the dizzy situations!! Strongly recommended to people of all age-groups and also to those who fantasize about diverse people!!

Based on the 2009 novel of the same name written by Chetan Bhagat, '2 States' is an entertaining, engaging & cute film, that doesn't' fail to deliver. Its A Winner!

'2 States' Synopsis: A young couple's plan to get hitched, gets crushed when their racial parents disapprove of their marriage.

'2 States' has an amazing first-hour & the lead-stars, Arjun & Alia, share an infectious chemistry on-screen. The Tamil-Punjabi conflict does get a bit boring, especially in the middle of the second-hour, but a heart-warming culmination, does the trick. Its not a perfect film, but its most certainly, enjoyable!

The Screenplay hits the right notes, at most parts. Barring a few dull sequences post-interval, the film is consistently engaging & smooth. Abhishek Varman makes a terrific debut as a Director. He has handled the entire film, remarkably. Cinematography is perfect. Editing is well-done. Art & Costume Design, are fair. Music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is fantastic.

Performance-Wise: Arjun & Alia are the life of the show. They enact the love-struck protagonists with pure charm. Their on-screen chemistry, as mentioned before, is infectious. Amrita Singh is delightfully rude, while Shiv Kumar Subramaniam & Revathy are wonderfully restrained. Ronit Roy stands out. He's excellent, yet again! Achint Kaur is lovely in a brief role.

On the whole, '2 States' clicks big time. Strongly Reccomeded!

A super lame first half followed up with a rocking second half. One could sum this up in the following ways:

1. There are just certain literature which looks super entertaining while watching but make for very predictable and boring reading.

2. While Indians dish out romantic stories by the dozen the treatment is so shabby that you often wonder how the hell did the chemistry build up. On the other hand, you ask them to show conflicting relative and family issues and they dish out a sucker punch. Here it seemed that the director knew that the first half is just meh and the real strength lies in the second half of the movie. So quick was he to dismiss the chemistry that you could blink and miss it.

3. If there was a direct to movie concept in book writing , Chetan Bhagat should officially consider that instead of going the traditional publisher's way.

And last but not the least!

4. Seldom are movies so mainstream and yet celebrate its side actors and character artists so wonderfully. For every effervescent reaction by Alia, Amrita Singh showed why she is such a treat to watch. Ronit Roy turned up and put on all the right moves in reprising his role as the father fighting with his own demons. Revathy and Shivkumar were brilliant as Ananya's parents representing the other side of the spectrum. The struggles of coping with pushy relatives and their own demons at the altars of their sons and daughters done so tastefully and with such restraint. You could almost root for them and hope that they get more and more screen time and that, folks is a rare sight in mainstream Bollywood!

2 States had me in two states of mind. While it's mostly simple and light hearted first half made me look forward to the rest of the movie, the darker and grittier, though somewhat predictable 2nd half made me sit up and take notice of the proceedings.

This tale is essentially that of two much in love IIM Graduates from two corners of India wishing to have their culturally clashing and hard to woo families completely accept their alluring alliance. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Chetan Bhagat, the film for me gets full marks in the screenplay adaptation department. Alas, sometimes the editing, tying up of lose ends from a storytelling perspective (what happens to the psychiatry sessions? When does it end), and staple Bollywood melodrama (or the lack thereof in the tame ending) makes for wishful film viewing.

What worked for me was the terrific chemistry and naturally effortless performances of the lead actors. Alia gets full marks for her terrific portrayal of Tamilian Ananya (despite her being a thorough North Indian girl - this being her third film, this is one girl to watch out for over and over again). Arjun inches close for his gritty and multi layered portrayal of Krish (I wish there was a bit more body language/voice modulation/effort to portray the 7 years younger character, or the slightly older father of two kids).

The supporting cast is tremendous too! Be it Ronit Roy in the stupendous special appearance as the father fighting his inner demons, or Amrita Singh with her loud mouthed yet large hearted portrayal of Krish's mother. Revathi and Shivkumar as Ananya's parents are subtle and nuanced and add the required pathos to the story at just the right time. I especially loved Revathi's rendition of 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai' and Shiv's almost childlike reactions to the same. The direction is naturally delightful (a great debut by Abhishek Varman), the screenplay superb, the music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy hummable (especially the excellently filmed 'Locha E Ulfat'), and the cinematography by Binod Pradhan just right, making this perfect as far as the technical requirements are concerned. Some loose ends could have been tied better, had the editor - Namrata Rao been allowed some more screen time (was it the over expectations from her post Kahaani?). But this is a glitch that can be safely ignored in an otherwise effective film.

Though some scenes of intimacy could have been done without, this is indeed a great family watch that strangely will teach you a thing or two about why, how, and when family matters. Watch it for a fluffy slice of life. Don't expect the stars, and you might just moon over this not so typical Bollywood Romance. Go for it!