Kapoor And Sons (2016)

Genre: Drama

Cast: Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Ratna Pathak Shah, Rajat Kapoor

Director: Shakun Batra

After a long time; a fun-loving, dramatic and comedic family movie. Wow! Bollywood is really gearing up (maybe). It is thrilling, intense and at the same time entertaining. It is a beautifully crafted story, with its charismatic cast of Alia Bhatt, Siddharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan and Rishi Kapoor.

The three elder Kapoors - grandfather (Rishi Kapoor), his first-born Harsh (Rajat Kapoor) and the latter's wife Sunita (Ratna Pathak) live in one house in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu where anger bursts are common. The older of the two male siblings, Rahul (Fawad Khan) is a successful writer based in London. The younger son, Arjun (Siddharth Malhotra), also an aspiring novelist, is an uncommitted person who works as a part-time bartender in New Jersey. Arjun has a massive burden/mark on his shoulders stemming from what he believes, his parents' inability to appreciate his work. The brothers don't get on with each other (except on a few ocasions), matters turn worse when Tia (Alia Bhatt) walks in and "appears" to catch the fancy of both Rahul and Karan.

The storyline appears to be quite common, similar to other Bollywood movies, so why is this movie so good?

Well the credit should go to everyone ranging from the actors, to the director for keeping it interesting and to the editor for doing a marvellous job of keeping it light.
 
It is a kind of satire on family relations but is as much a reality in everyday's peoples' lives, people can relate to it, it is not solemn and it's presented in an absolutely humorous way for the audience to enjoy and engage. This could be the story of any family anywhere and that is what makes Kapoor And Sons special. 

The screenplay looks on the aspects of human nature that are rarely viewed upon in more simplistic Bollywood. Cinematography is steady, and provides an uncluttered view of the action. The background music too has been deftly chosen. The movie has been well-edited, and its 140 minutes’ just fly by.

On the acting front, Fawad Khan steals the show with an impressive and confident performance to continuously carry the burden of expectation and hide his true self behind a wall of falsehoods. 

Siddharth Malhotra is a completely contrasting character in comparison, and he never fails to put his best foot forward. 

Alia Bhatt is the free-spirited and fun-loving Tia. There is a scene between Alia and Sidharth Malhotra where she narrates a past incident and that completely chaffs out the innocent chirpiness we associate with her from her character. Needless to say that she has done a spectacular job.

Overall, Kapoor & Sons is a must watch.