All I wanted to do was post – ‘Please go and watch Kapoor and Sons. Highly recommended!!!’
Fortunately or unfortunately, I felt that it didn’t do justice to this gem of a movie and also its creator, who I believe is one of the finest storytellers we have in our country presently (no, I am not referring to Karan Johar). And so, this is what I ended up writing.
Movies for me are about subtly. I am not averse or biased to any particular genre and am more than forthcoming to the gambit of choices available, more so in the Indian film industry. The only condition being that if not all the chords, it should manage to hit at least that one chord, which will make me feel that yes, this is the reason why the film should have been made. Besides my expectations, what adds to complexion is my selective behavior when it comes to Bollywood movies. I never take the risk of being in the rush for a first day first show offering. It is only after carefully researching authentic reviews and understanding the nuances of a plot that I finally go to watch a Bollywood movie.
It was one of those exceptions that in 2012, I went to see a movie without doing the above said research. It was out of boredom more than anything. The only thing that I was aware about the movie was its cast and a couple of songs that were ear friendly, but not exactly chart busters. But around two and a half hours later, when I came out of the cinema hall, I was completely blown away by the movie. The plot, the acting, the screenplay and particularly the ending simply wowed me. The way the director (let’s call him GUY), presented the different emotions of his lead characters was applaud worthy. I carefully noted his name to check for his other mainstream work as I was curious to see what other gems he might have helmed. I was a bit crestfallen to see his name credited only as an assistant director in couple of movies. Yet, I saved GUY’s name in my memory drive to be alert in case it cropped up anywhere.
My wait didn’t cease until 2014, when a spoof on the Student of the Year, featuring Alia Bhat was shared on the AIB YouTube channel. While watching the video it was very evident to sense that even by AIB standards, that particular sketch had a level of maturity and quality that easily separated it from the rest of their videos. Glancing at the credits in the end and looking at the director’s name, a part of my memory flashed and I saw the very name that had captured space in my drive since 2012. It was GUY. My surprise dwindled in an instant.
Jump to 2016. I see the trailer of a movie that doesn’t catch my attention much besides the use of prosthetic by one of the better actors in the Indian film industry. It seemed to be another run of the mill kind of Bollywood drama that features two brothers caught up in a love triangle and who eventually go hammer and thongs at each other upon realising that they were after the same girl.
Around 4 days after the release of the movie, I happen to chance upon a couple of reviews of the movie. Both being more than lavish in their praise and complimenting the movie for its realism, screenplay and top rate acting. I was forced to do my research only to find out that the movie was directed by GUY. I immediately booked a ticket for the next available show of the movie.
Two and a half hours after coming out of the cinema hall, I was convinced that GUY is one of the best story tellers and dialogue writers that we have in our country. While he may not be considered in the league of the Hiranis or the Akhtars or the Johars, but when it comes to simplicity and execution of thought, his talent might well overpower them. And getting the kind of performance that he does from his actors is a huge testimony to his vision and cohesiveness. After all, one of the major tasks for any director is to be crystal clear in their communication, particularly to their actors and deduce the best performance out of them. The genre of the movie is family drama, which has had its fair share of grandiloquence and sob fest (think Barjatiyas or the Johars) which alienate the movie going audience. However, this particular movie captured the realistic life of a middle class family based out of a hill station down south, who finds paying the medical bills of the ailing grandfather a difficult ordeal. The situations, the dialogues, the acting are simply of the standards not common to typical Bollywood movies. And that’s what makes this movie among my all-time favourites. And it’s not just me, even the critics are betting their horses on this movies emerging as one of the best this year.
Now, to break the suspense, following is the disclosure of the names –
2012 film – Ek Main Aur Ek Tu
2014 video – Genius of the Year feat Alia Bhat by AIB
2016 film – Kapoor and Sons
GUY – Shakun Batra
A special mention of Fawad Khan – very rarely do we get to see looks and acting prowess in equal measure. He is a tsunami of talent. His control and finesse at acting is jaw dropping. In a movie featuring the likes of seasoned artists like Ratna Shah, Rishi Kapoor and Rajat Kapoor, it speaks volumes about your talent if you manage to create a space for yourself.
Shobhit Agarwal 