2 States is based on Chetan Bhagat’s Popular Best Seller Novel by the same name is a Romantic Comedy Starring Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhat in the lead role. The film is directed by Abhishek Varman and produced by Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala. . It is one such story that writer Chetan Bhagat reveals that it is an adaptation of his own struggle to bridge that the cultural divide of North and South
The story is simple . Punjabi boy Krish Malhotra ( Arjun Kapoor) from Delhi and Tamilian girl Ananya Swaminathan ( Alia Bhat) meet on the IIM Ahmadabad campus. They fall in love and once they complete college They both get jobs and well settled in tier jobs and hence they decide to marry. However the real fun begins when the couple decides to marry each other with their concern parents approval. The two decides to approach each other family and convince them. They also want to make their family love the other persons family. Enter their parents and thus begins the century old North Indian – South Indian Battle . Two families have their prejudices against each other communities and makes it hard to be pleased.Their diverse cultures make its culmination a challenge. The North Indian-South Indian war is known to us all and the cultural stereotypes that come along is ridiculously hilarious. However the idea of making the two families unite seems like ‘Mission Impossible’ with the couples Punjabi and Tamil parents spare no chance to insult each others counterpart.How the two lovers survive this chaos and confusion and Manage to Unite the 2 states in their marriage is what the rest of the film is all about.
For an audience that has been around from the ’80s, debutant Abhishek Varman’s ‘2 States’ may seem like they are revisiting K Balachander’s mega hit ‘Ek Duuje Ke Liye’ (1981), where the Tamil boy had to cross endless hurdles to patao the Punjabi girl. However, that movie had too much angst and a tragic end.
2 States is a happy film (with measured anguish). Romance in cross-cultural or even cross-border situations isn’t new to Bollywood. What makes 2 States work is the simple narrative told humorously. The story is Adapted as it is, from the novel and is light-hearted. Chetan’s funny one-liners and life-view are studiously borrowed by the director for his screen outing. And though there is a sense of deja-vu, for those who have read the book, the movie still manages to charm and surprise.
The film also features Ronit Roy, Amrita Singh, Shiv Kumar Subramaniam and Revathy in important roles. The girl’s music-loving mom (Revathy) and her retired bank officer dad (Shiv Subramaniam) are a conservative but well-adjusted couple from Chennai. The boy’s New Delhi family is severely dysfunctional and ugly spats between the parents are a daily occurrence. 2 States is a cross-culture love story that strives to be sweet, funny and emotionally wrenching all at once.
Incidentally, for those in an inter-caste marriage, this movie could resonate like your own tale. The playful digs at each others cultures, the self-deprecating remarks about one’s family and community are all laugh-out-loud moments. Amrita-Ronit, Revathi-Shiv Subramaniam infuse life into their roles of the Punjabi and Tamil parents. The spitfire Alia and a sober Arjun are also lovable. If you are in a mood for a Bollywood family saga with measured melodrama and the right amount of naach-gaana, visit 2 States.