Though I am pretty late for my first review the latest Bollywood drama, Kapoor and Sons, but I will still like to do so because it is one of the very few movies of Bollywood that touched my heart and soul with its intense drama and a gripping story line. In this review I would like to touch a different perspective other than the story line, screenplay etc.
The movie very beautifully hints upon the questions that society refuses to ponder upon. Sensitive topics like Extra-marital affairs and homosexuality are touched upon and shown in a light which really no other Bollywood movie has ever shown. From the first glimpse of the flick, it might seem like the remake of an age old story line involving two brothers fighting over a girl leading to breakdowns in their relationship. But, as the story unfolds and Rahul (Fawad) rejects Tia (Alia) because of his apparent ‘girlfriend’, and encourages his younger brother Arjun (Siddharth) to make his moves on her, the story looks up for another twist. When the bold and the beautiful character Tia confesses about the kiss she shared with Rahul, despite of no reciprocation from him the whole animosity between the two brothers reaches to another level. Though, this fight does not make any sense because of the storyline in the end.
Also, the image of a ‘perfect’ son which couldn’t have been distorted with any possible reason in his mother’s (Ratna Pathak) eyes, scatters when Rahul is revealed to be a homosexual. Tackled in a very subtle manner, the part reveals how stereotypical the society is, which judges a person because of their sexual orientation which should ideally be a personal choice rather than a social concern. The message comes across the movie beautifully in the end with the mother’s acceptance towards Rahul.
Simultaneously, the movie addresses the issue of extra-marital affair and marital tension in the relationship of the parents (Rajat Kapoor and Ratna Pathak) which ends adversely with the death of the father while he is trying to sort his married life and get it back on track. The acting pieces of these two actors are probably the strongest and comes across as the most genuine ones. Somewhere, it is communicated that feeling for another person in life is natural but it is more important to maintain the relationship of honesty and trust with your partner, who stands by you through thick and thin. The family with a weak foundation cannot stand together, and starts to fall, and that is what is portrayed here in the whole movie.
Entertaining characters like Bubly (I don’t want to write phonetically correct spellings :P) and the Grandfather add the fun needed in the whole drama, where the story grabs you tight to the edge of your seat. My favourite character of the grandfather also acts as a glue to the family who’s last wish is to get a picture clicked with the whole family with a caption “Kapoor & Sons, since 1921”. Disappointingly enough that does not happen because of the sudden death, but the final moment when inspired from mandaakini’s poster, the poster of the father is kept in the middle of the family to complete the picture of Kapoor and Sons, it is worth a few tears. The cute, little, wrinkly, horny and probably the most idealised grandfather who rolls joints, flirts with women half his age and can make jokes out of any tough situation is someone worth watching in the movie and also in real life it is important and appreciated to take care of your parents and old ones in loving manner.
The movie is definitely worth a watch and the strong messages that come across are definitely worth applying in life.