Apr 19, 2014 12:37 PM
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India is a land of diversity. Yet, most of us prefer making friends, being touch with and getting married to people from our own community/caste/religion/region/mother tongue. All those living in India are surely to know at least one such person who defied the norms and got hitched to someone not belonging to his/her community and the ‘battles he/she had to fight’ to achieve his/her aim. Needless to say, something of this sort makes for a great story and it was proved by the super-success of Chetan Bhagat’s bestselling novel 2 States. And its film version, also called 2 States, also carries the same essence as in the novel. Yet, there is a lot left to be desired.
The story of the movie: After securing a degree in IIT, Krish Malhotra(Arjun Kapoor) gets into IIM in Ahmedabad and meets the beautiful and smart Ananya Swaminathan(Alia Bhatt) on the very first day. As time passes, both get drawn to each other and love happens. And it also marks the beginning of their struggle as both belong to diverse cultures. While Krish is a Punjabi, Ananya is a Tamil Brahmin. How they attempt to woo their parents and make them agree to their relationship forms the crux of the film.
Adapting a popular novel into a film has never been an easy task. The trick lies in adapting the story in a way that it seems fit for a film version but at the same time, cleanly omitting some stuff from the book without any disruption in the narrative. Bhagat’s The 3 Mistakes Of My Life was very wittily adapted in Kai Po Che, in this regard. Same goes for 3 Idiots. In 2 States, a lot of interesting stuff of the novel is removed which is not done as some of it was the funny bits which made the novel such a runaway hit. Moreover, the first half is rushed and the makers should have allowed the story to progress gradually and organically. But thankfully, all these minuses don’t spoil the joy. There’s a lot happening in the film that makes for an interesting watch. The real fun in fact begins after the families meet for the first time and even more when Krish shifts to Chennai. The intermission point is quite impressive.
Surprisingly, the narrative slows down a bit in the second half and Krish’s relationship with his father(Ronit Roy) turns out to be an important parallel track. And it has some really touching moments, especially towards the pre-climax. But in the process, the film slightly shifts focus from its core idea – ‘love story of 2 cultures’ – and this is seen in the climax too. In fact, despite the film ending on an exhilarating note, one can’t help but feel a bit underwhelmed. There is so much the makers could have incorporated in the marriage sequence from the novel. By leaving it out, the film looks a bit incomplete.
Fortunately, the positives outweigh the negatives. The dialogues are hilarious while some scenes are immensely interesting and impressive. Also, the association of various characters with each other is lovely and most importantly, quite realistic. And not to forget, the performances are exemplary. Arjun Kapoor disappointed a bit in Gunday but gets back in top form with 2 States. In fact, any doubts regarding why Arjun of all heroes is casted in this film would go out of the window in the first 30 minutes itself. Here’s hoping the actor continues with his superb work in Finding Fanny and Tevar as well!
Alia Bhatt once again springs a surprise after her outstanding performance in Highway. She holds her position quite strongly and despite being so young, she convincingly plays the role of an IIM graduate with a 50k salary! At this rate, Alia would soon be one of the top actresses of Bollywood. Amrita Singh(Kavita, Krish’s mother) delivers a brilliant performance. Notice how not even once she allows her character to get on to one’s nerves! Ronit Roy in many ways is the best performer in the film! As always, he is flawless and proves yet again his acting brilliance! Hats off! Shiv Subramaniam(Alia’s father) does a great job and his scenes with Arjun Kapoor are the highpoints in first half. Revathi(Alia’s mother) is too good and beautifully underplays her part! Achint Kaur(Shipra) is lovely and good to see her after a long time! Ashwin Kaushal(Duke) is hilarious in his only sequence. The actor playing Manju doesn't get much scope.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music is quite alright and it’s surprising to see the team losing their sheen in recent times. Locha-E-Ulfat is the best of the lot undoubtedly and this is also because of the way its shot. Offo comes next followed by Mast Magan. Tubby-Parik’s background score is quite theatrical and works well. Binod Pradhan’s cinematography is brilliant and some of the beach scenes are exceptional. Costumes are appealing and same goes for production design(Amrita Mahal Nakai). Both these factors greatly contribute to the fresh look of the film. Hussain Dalal’s dialogues are sharp and funny and make the right impact. Story, by Chetan Bhagat, as we all know is legendary and arguably his best work. However, the adapted screenplay(Abhishek Verman) has its moments but could have been much better. Same goes for his direction. Some scenes are exceptionally executed, making it difficult to believe that the film is helmed by a first timer. But if one has read the novel, one might realize that a lot could have been incorporated in the film to make it much more entertaining and touching.
Some of the best scenes:
Krish-Ananya meet for the first time.
Krish tells Ananya of his plans in life.
Krish-Ananya kiss for the first time.
The songs Locha-E-Ulfat and Offo.
Krish proposes to Ananya.
6.Krish-Ananya’s families meet in Ahmedabad.
All scenes of Krish and Ananya’s father.
The intermission point.
Ananya at Krish’s place.
Minti-Duke’s wedding.
All scenes of Krish with his father.
The turn of events in Mumbai five-star hotel.
On the whole, 2 States is an entertaining, fun-filled ride and embellished with hilarious dialogues and stupendous performances. However, it’s too rushed in the first half and the climax gives an underwhelming feeling. Most importantly, it’s not an ideal adaptation of the 2 States novel. Nevertheless, it’s engaging, entertaining and funny and hence deserves a watch, at least once!
