There are a very few movies which
are better than the books. I hoped that Two States would be such a movie.
I would like to be honest here. I
love Chetan Bhagat’s light easy reads. I even loved his Revolution 2020. I have
read Two States – A Story of My Marriage multiple times. The latest I read the
book was when I saw the promos of the movie on YouTube. (Yeah, I don’t watch
much Television). The book takes me back to my MBA days. I remember how I had
bribed the college librarian into ensuring that I get the first copy of the
book as soon as it arrived. I started reading and soon I was falling in love
with Anannya and equally jealous of Krish. I hate to admit, but I was a bit overwhelmed and I realized that
my eyes too were moist towards the end.
With the same hope, I went in to
watch the movie the very day it released. I was all alone in Aurangabad and had
some time to kill. The movie set me back 190 rupees. Hell, I would have paid
350/- if needed. As I waited impatiently, I hoped Abhishek Verman (Director) had done
justice to the book. I was sure Aliya Bhatt would do justice to the character since
she had acted so well in Highway. Arjun Kapoor, I wasn’t so sure about.
So, if I hadn’t read the book,
I’d say: The movie was a bit above average. So, Aliya once again does a good
job playing an array of emotions ranging from exuberance to dismay, from pride
to plain helplessness. Although I feel that the director could have explored her
acting talent even further. The background score was pretty awesome. No malasa
movie goes without the naach gaana, 2
States is no different. The songs are catchy and the choreography too is not
over the top which is a pleasant change. Arjun does a average job.
There were times when his face just lacked expressions.
The director tried his level best
to do justice to the book. But unfortunately, he fails miserably. The scene
where the son slaps the father is too weak. It could have been more intense.
Even when Anannya decides that she
does not want to marry Krish, the
scene could have been acted out better.
All in all, average acting,
average story-telling, Average movie if you are going in expecting the magic of the book on the screen. I would give it 3 stars out of 5. The
extra half star was for Aliya Bhatt.
