2 States (2014) Movie Review

Alia Bhatt, who till recently thought that Prithviraj Chavan was the President of India, portrays a girl who converts an IIM A call. *Slow Claps*

The thing with Chetan Bhagat novels is that 30 min into them you know your reading an adapted-screenplay-in-the-making, and not a novel. Even so, those who have read through his portfolio would unanimously agree that Five Point Someone and 2 States were in a league of their own. Five Point Someone translated into 3 Idiots which shall forever be one of the best movies ever made. The expectations, hence, from 2 States were huge. Does it match up? Short answer — NO.

The plot is no secret, so in this review let me talk about why one should or should not watch the flick…

Three reasons why it’s worth taking the trip to the multiplexes for this one-

1. The Songs — Each song has been beautifully shot, and makes for good listening.
2. The Cinematography— Binod Pradhan is brilliant again.
3. The Parents — Revathy, Shiva Kumar Subramanium, and Amrita Singh play their parts to perfection. Ronit Roy, playing the bad ass dad for the third time now, is solid. Both sets of parents dwarf the floundering lead pair and add the much needed substance to the script.

Now, All that’s wrong with the film, and Why you can afford to give it a miss-

1. The Lead pair, especially Arjun — I remember when the promos were launched the first thought that had entered my mind was that they screwed up the casting. Alia Bhatt still shines in moments, but Arjun is a total misfit. Sushant Singh Rajput? Maybe.
2. The Direction — Kai Po Che proved that in the hands of a talented director even a mediocre book like 3 Mistakes could translate into a beautiful movie. The makers had the opportunity to create a nice little rom-com but ended up making a mildly entertaining flick peppered with unimaginative stereotyping and drama.
3. It fails to capture all that made the book, a fun read — 2 States (the book) was fun in the way it captured the small nuances of Punjabi’s and Tamil’s. It had witty lines and insights that were drawn from keen observations. If even half of those had made it onto the screen, then the movie would have been a Win. Alas, not to be.

So there you have it. Even in the case of Chetan Bhagat novels, the books ARE better than the movies. (Kai Po Che being the only exception, and maybe 3 Idiots)

A 3.5 on 5 from me.

PS — Here’s the Alia Bhatt interview I refer to in the subtitle ;)