Review of Kapoor & Sons (2016) by Shreehari H — 12 Jan 2017

Whoever said old-school is passé probably didn't watch Kapoor and Sons.

Much in the vein of 2001's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kapoor and Sons is a good old-fashioned tearjerker that plays to the gallery.

Where director Shakun Batra's film stands out, however, is in its recognition of the need to draw a fine line between subtlety and saccharine vacuousness.

Well, for the most part, at least.

The film captures the ebbs and flows of modern Indian family life - in all its chaotic and tempestuous glory - with startling attention to detail.

Fawad Khan and Siddharth Malhotra play two brothers - one a well-established writer in London, the other a struggling wannabe author who works as a part-time bartender in New Jersey to eke out a living.

Both are summoned back to their home in the picturesque hill station of Coonoor where their grandfather (played by Rishi Kapoor) has recently suffered a heart attack.

Skeletons come tumbling out of never-before-discovered closets in the wake of the aforementioned family reunion, making this family question everything that it once stood for.

Where Kapoor and Sons really succeeds is in its rich character detailing - each of these people comes with his own baggage of lies, insecurities and desires.

It's the perfect recipe for a feel-good familial drama, and Batra utilises this goldmine of emotions to create a well-textured tale of hope and redemption.

The performances are uniformly impressive, but it's Rishi Kapoor's heartwarming portrayal of an ageing family patriarch that stays with you long after the end credits have rolled.

Kapoor and Sons is certainly predictable, but it is also heartfelt, sensitive and deeply moving.

In short, it makes you believe in the power of family again.

Because sometimes, all you need in life is love.