A perfect family story with all the imperfections
A ‘family film’ about two brothers from a dysfunctional family catches the on-and-off bond between characters essayed by Siddharth Malhotra and Fawad Khan. The film rolls out over a weekend where the family goes on a vacation and one of the brothers, the younger one played by siddharth reveals his sexuality. Rajat Kapoor and Ratna Pathak Shah play their parents, while Alia Bhatt’s character gets involved with the family and the brothers at different points of the story. Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor plays old Mr. Kapoor in the movie.
Directed by Shakun Batra and produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, Kapoor and sons is about two estranged brothers Rahul and Arjun Kapoor who are forced to return to their childhood home in Coonoor when their 90-year-old grandfather wants to see them after he has a heart attack at the age of 90. Rahul, for his age, seems to have built a pretty good life for himself; a good looking man, doing very well professionally, living in a swanky apartment in London, and also planning to pursue architecture along with writing. On the other hand is his younger brother Arjun. Arjun is also an aspiring writer, living in New Jersey, clearly struggling to make ends meet. These two brothers aren’t exactly the ‘inseparable’ brother duo we are used to seeing in our movies. The awkwardness and tension between them is apparent from the word go. Their arrival in India quickly unfolds their individual relations with their parents as well. Rahul is clearly the perfect one, loved by all, Arjun seems like the neglected one who according to the family is too immature/irresponsible to take decisions. The brothers arrive in India to find that their little family isn’t as perfect as they had imagined. Their parents no longer sleep in the same room and their father(Rajat Kapoor ) seems to have developed a relationship with a long time family friend, which is making their mom(Ratna Patak Shah) uncomfortable. Furthermore, the family is going through a severe financial crunch as well. The brothers have returned to the same old home, but with totally different dynamics. Their parents get into quarrels over their financial situation, ending marriage, and other bad decisions. The sons on the other hand have their own battles with the parents, and with each other.
Arjun has an old friend in Coonoor who helps him get out of the steaming pot environment in his house. One night, the friend takes Arjun out for a party to a friend’s place, which is where he meets Tia(Alia). Tia is an attractive, flamboyant, young girl who Arjun instantly strikes a chord with. Rahul meets Tia as well, regarding a business deal they are trying to strike, and even here, there is a certain equation right from the word go. We see the onset of another point of tension between the brothers – a love triangle. As the story unfolds, we realize that all the characters have had their fair share of mistakes and bad decisions. The family members who seem perfect aren’t necessarily so, and the ones who seem imperfect have had good reasons for their actions. While living under one roof, family secrets unravel and misunderstandings are on the verge of turning into tragedy.
Are the brothers able to bring back normalcy to their house? Are they able to resolve their own issues? What happens to the Tia-Arjun-Rahul trio? Is the grandfather able to get the perfect ‘family photo he’s been striving for? The answer to all these questions and many more forms the crux of the story.
Coming to the music Karan Johar packs in a horde of composers, singers and lyricists in his new film Kapoor & Sons. Badshah and Fazilpuria bring back a new version of their Haryanvi track Chull. Recreated as Kar Gayi Chull, this one is a Bollywood-ish version, and includes Neha Kakkar’s vocals. Bolna makes its presence felt from the word ‘go’. Arijit Singh sings it in a style that is very different from his earlier love songs. Asees Kaur gets her big break in this song, and she nails it right away. This is a romantic number that you would like to hear in a loop. Amaal Malik gives us a dance number with Buddhu Sa Mann, as he shares the mike with his brother Armaan. Badshah unleashes some dance music with Let’s Nacho, and is complimented by Benny Dayal.
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