Kapoor & Sons (2016)

 Kapoor and Sons was a movie I fished out of netflix as being a rom-com and something that would lighten up the weekend. After watching the film, I would hardly characterize it as such. 

What the movie ended up being was a confusing hodgepodge of arguments and conclusions without really being a journey. There were a number of themes that the movie touched upon, but none of them really bore any consequence on character development: 

HEADS UP, SPOLIER ALERT NEXT 

1) Indian parents' expectations for their children and the fear of not living up to them 

2) Keeping sexual identity a secret from parents 

3) The value of a family in general and what it means to be in a family 

4) Trust and infidelity 

but although the film started exploring these themes, it never really dug into any of them or allowed its characters to fully evolve and develop as such. 

Towards the end, it just felt like a few misunderstandings were cleared and that's it. And true, although the mom Kapoor in the household eventually starts her own catering business and accepts her son's homosexuality, we don't really see the transition. It happened in barely 5 minutes covered by a few frames. 

The disappointingly least developed character in my opinion is the father Kapoor portrayed by Rajat Kapoor. His character was pretty much flat throughout. We find out near the end that he's been having an affair and we have no idea why. It felt like the affair was an instrument to increase the complexity of the movie, but really bore no consequence to understanding Kapoor as a person. When he dies in the movie, I am shedding 0 tears. 

The most endearing character in my opinion is the grandfather played by Rishi Kapoor. His character is fun loving, jovial and I was quite intrigued by learning more about him and LEANING into the life lessons that he might have to share. I felt the movie didn't capitalize on his character enough and he ended up turning into a version of Amitabh Bachchan from Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. I wish that the film brought more sentimentality from that character and his unique personality. 

There was something about the movie that made it seem like it tried TOO hard to be modern and "Western". The affair, the partying and constant cannabis intake, the estranged family relationships and it just felt like the movie was more show than genuine. 

There were a couple of wins: the theme of the cut out cardboard people, one dialogue is particularly good which is why people delve into stories: for their happy ending. 

Overall though: I was craving for something that spoke more to the themes that were introduced especially within an Indian cultural context. And... was hoping to shed at least a few tears. The ending did make me tear up a bit. 

All in all, okay use of 2 hours, but WOULDN'T recommend overall.