Movie in Review: “2 States”

by Hera Ashraf 

Cast: Alia Bhatt, Arjun Kapoor, Amritha Singh, Revathy, Ronit Roy, Shivkumar Subramaniam

Direction: Abhishek Varman

Genre: Drama, Romance

Duration: 2 hours and 50 minutes

My rating: 4/5

Last year, Brown Girl Priya Mukhopadhyay reviewed the novel, “2 States: The Story of my Marriage” by Chetan Bhagat. This year, Abhishek Varman brings the novel to life in film form.

Starring Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, “2 States” is a story of two lovers, Krish and Ananya, who come from completely different cultural backgrounds. Thinking love is enough for marriage, Krish and Ananya don’t realize how difficult it would be for their respective Punjabi and Tamilian families to accept one another. Determined to get married with their families’ consent, Krish and Ananya attempt to overcome the obstacles to unite the two cultures and families.

I wish more time was spent introducing and exploring the Punjabi and Tamilian culture, and less on the actual budding romance between the two characters in the beginning of the film. However, I must say, Kapoor and Bhatt’s chemistry on-screen makes it really easy to get caught up in the story and believe the characters. Their natural performances keep the storyline interesting.

Another plus in the film is the music. Composed by Shankar, Ehsan and Loy, the music is fresh and catchy, and it fits perfectly into the movie. I loved all the soundtracks, but “Chaandaniya” and “Offo” should definitely be added to your Bollywood playlist.

Overall, this is an entertaining film that I would definitely recommend to watch. C0-producers Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala will be pleased to see the audience and critic’s response to the film. It will definitely be a career booster for both Kapoor and Bhatt.

Featured Image Source: TimesofIndia.com