Kapoor & Sons (#9 of 52)

Kapoor and Sons – Since 1921 was one of those films which seems to do everything right in the build up to the release. Fun trailer with laugh-loud moment prominent – check. Ensemble cast with hot hunks and babe – check. Superhit chartbusting item number – check. A bit of all genres to appeal to everyone – check. I’m a bit wary of such movies these days. Slick trailers and a nice build up seems to be something every producer worth his salt has mastered, however the correlation with a good movie still remains on the lower side. Recent case in point – Wazir. So despite watching the movie a couple of weeks post release, and generally positive sentiments floating around – I had my ‘subconscious-bias-meter’ for lack of a better term, turned right up.

I needn’t have worried. Kapoor and Sons is one of those rare movies that does really seem to achieve everything. Coming from a major production house, you also expect big budget movies to have some parts which require you to suspend disbelief, which you may roll your eyes over, which will pander to the masses – see Dil Dhadakne Do from last year for reference.

The premise is the old family drama, everyone with a secret to hide – in a North Indian family in South India. Tension grows, stretched to a point till it snaps. And then comes the denouement, refreshingly free of melodrama. It’s a bit of a rich boy movie with circumstances and issues which do appear metropolitan in nature – as opposed to a Dil Dhadakne Do which is a rich boy movie without any intellectual pretensions at all. I felt similarities to Dil Chahata Hai in the overall tone, dialogues, character issues and their handling  – may be a bit too soon to become a mass hit.

I also finally got to see the great new pretty-boy Fawad Khan properly. Has acted well, but Siddharth Malhotra is definitely prettier. Alia Bhatt is worth taking into movies just for her infectious laughs and smiles. Rishi Kapoor had more make-up than necessary I guess, but that’s not necessarily taking anything away from a thoroughly lovable character.

Fun movie. Touching movie. No loopholes and WTF moments-waali movie. Definite watch waali movie. 5 star waali movie. (Not an all time classic, but really nothing to point out as lacking here either.

★★★★★

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