2 States (2014 film)


2 States is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romantic-comedy drama film written and directed by Abhishek Varman, marking his directorial debut. An adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's 2009, it is produced by Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala under their respective banners Dharma Productions and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. The film stars Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, with Amrita Singh, Ronit Roy, Revathi Nair and Shiv Kumar Subramaniam portraying supporting roles. Distributed by UTV Motion Pictures, it was released worldwide on 18 April 2014, receiving positive reviews. The music of the film was composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy. A major box-office success, it grossed worldwide against its budget. At the 60th Filmfare Awards, the film was nominated in eight categories including Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress among others, and won two: Best Debut Director and Best Music Director.

Plot

Krish Malhotra, a fresh Engineer from IIT Delhi, now a student pursuing his MBA at the IIM Ahmedabad, Gujarat, comes from a troubled, rich family of Punjabi Hindu origin based in Delhi. His mother Kavita Malhotra is often beaten by his father Vikram Malhotra. He meets his classmate Ananya Swaminathan, economics topper in her college, who comes from a conservative Tamil Hindu Brahmin family. Ananya is a beautiful girl. Krish and Ananya, initially quarrel, but soon become friends and start studying together. Ananya, though an economics topper is unable to answer simple questions to her professor who chides her in turn. Ananya finds that Krish is a genius and starts taking his help in academics. Krish is attracted to Ananya and could not control himself, so one day he tells Ananya that either they end their friendship or she kisses himself because while close to her Krish is distracted too much to her in order for him to focus on studies. Soon they begin dating, and stay together for their next 22 months on the IIM campus. Krish confides in Ananya that his real passion is writing, which he wants to pursue a career in. They both have become close to each other and fall for each other during the stay in IIM. Krish gets selected in the campus drives for Yes Bank. He immediately rushes to the next room and proposes to Ananya, in the middle of her interview. She accepts and then gets selected for Sunsilk.
When they complete their graduation, Krish and Ananya decide to get married. They introduce their parents to each other at the convocation ceremony. To their dismay, Krish's loud Punjabi mother Kavita does not get along with Ananya's reserved Tamil parents Radha, and her husband. After graduation, Ananya begins her marketing job in her hometown Chennai and Krish goes back to his own hometown Delhi, with the choice of workplace in his own hands. Krish's brash family urges him to stay in Delhi and try to discourage him from his interest in writing. They also criticize his relationship with Ananya, and tell him to get into an arranged marriage with a Punjabi girl. It is also evident that there is tension between Krish and his rich alcoholic father Vikram.
Krish, unable to get over Ananya, leaves his dysfunctional family and shifts his job to Chennai. During this time, he tries very hard to win over Ananya's family. He initially steps on the rangoli at the entrance of their house and, unintentionally, messes it up; which upsets Ananya's father. Gradually, over a period of time, he builds rapport with the family. He tutors her younger brother for the IIT entrance, gets her mother an opportunity to sing for an event at his workplace and helps his father create his first PowerPoint presentation.
With his efforts, when Krish symbolically proposes to each member of the family, Ananya's family agrees to the marriage. Krish and Ananya then travel to Delhi to win over Krish's family. Initially, Kavita and her family are hostile towards Ananya but slowly come to like her after she saves Krish's cousin's wedding from being canceled due to dispute over excessive dowry.
Krish and Ananya decide to take a vacation in Mumbai with their families before the wedding. The vacation does not go as planned when Kavita makes continuous snide remarks about Tamilian culture. Furthermore, Ananya and her parents overhear Krish falsely assuring his mother that she can treat Ananya however she wants after they are married. Having had enough of the insults, Ananya breaks up with Krish and both go their separate ways.
Krish and Ananya find it hard to live without each other. Krish becomes a workaholic and becomes depressed and starts writing about his story with Ananya. He also visits her in Chennai where she warns him to stop communication. Sometime later, he gets a call from Ananya, who reveals that Krish's father had secretly come down to Chennai to speak to her parents, apologising for his wife's shallow behavior, in an effort to change their decision. This allows for Krish and Ananya to finally get married, with Krish and his Punjabi family traveling by train to Chennai for the wedding. His father initially says that he will not attend the wedding to prevent any further embarrassment, but at the last minute he flies down to Chennai with Krish seeing his rental car outside of the hotel and to the surprise of his mother, announcing that his father has come to the wedding during an argument with the priests due to the absence of the father. Krish's father apologizes to his mother for his abusive behaviour over the years.
After getting married, Ananya gives birth to twin boys. Krish resigns from his job at the bank and, publishes his book 2 States based on his and Ananya's life.

Cast

Casting

The first choice for the lead pair in the film had been Saif Ali Khan and Priyanka Chopra and the film was to be directed by Siddharth Anand. Later, it was announced that Shah Rukh Khan and Asin Thottumkal would play lead roles and the film was to be directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. The role of Krish Malhotra was also offered to Imran Khan who instead chose to work on Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. Finally, Arjun Kapoor was cast as the lead. The female lead was then offered to Anushka Sharma who rejected it as she didn't find the role interesting enough and later Alia Bhatt signed on. Amrita Singh and Ronit Roy were cast as Arjun Kapoor's parents and Revathi Nair and Shiv Kumar Subramaniam were cast as Alia Bhatt's parents.

Filming

commenced on 29 January 2013 with the shooting of a song. Parts of the film were shot at Chennai, Delhi, IIM-A and Gol Limda Bhajiya House near Astodia Darwaza, Ahmedabad Railway Station to Police commissioner office in Ahmedabad in August 2013. Alia would be sporting an Indian Fusion look in the film and her costumes have been designed by Manish Malhotra. Speaking about her character, Alia said that she is a City Girl who speaks Tamil only with her parents. It was given a U/A certificate by the censor board
The song "Offo" was choreographed and conceptualized by Remo D'Souza as a celebration of several Indian festivals in a time lapse of almost one year. It was shot over four days at IIM Ahmedabad campus and Filmistan Studio in Mumbai.

Soundtrack

The film score was composed by Tubby-Parik while the songs were composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, while the lyrics for the songs were penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The first song, Offo, sung by Aditi Singh Sharma and Amitabh Bhattacharya, released on 7 March 2014. The second song, Locha-E-Ulfat, sung by Benny Dayal, released on 13 March 2014. The soundtrack of the film released on 16 March 2014. The medley song "Isaiyin Alai" at the Concert was sung by Mahalaxmi Iyer. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy won the filmfare and IIFA Awards 2015 for this film.

Release

Box office

India

According to Box Office India, 2 States had "excellent" first day figures of. The collections for second day were around taking its two-day total to, receiving a "fantastic" response in circuits like Mumbai, Mysore, Delhi-UP, CP Berar, CI, Nizam and Rajasthan. The film was declared a "Super Hit" by Box Office India in light of its first two days' performance. With a very good run in multiplexes and single screens alike, it managed a three-day nett of. 2 States had a final domestic nett of.

International

According to Box Office India, 2 States grossed US$5.85 million internationally, and was the second highest overseas grosser of 2014 in Bollywood after Jai Ho at that point.

Critical reception

of Bollywood Hungama awarded the film 4.5 out of 5 stars, and noted, "On the whole, 2 States is one of the finest movies to come out of the Hindi film industry of late. This is one of those rare Hindi movies that commands a repeat viewing. Strongly recommended!" Critic Saurabh Dwiwedi, writing for India Today, gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, and published, "2 States can be a good mirror for parents to understand their children. So take along your parents and enjoy the film." Meena Iyer of The Times of India gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, and wrote, "What makes 2 States work is the simple narrative told humorously. Adapted as it is, from one of author Chetan Bhagat's best-selling works, the film, just like the book before it, 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." Paloma Sharma of Rediff.com gave the movie 3.5 out of 5 stars and opined, "There's nothing that should keep you from watching 2 States". Mohar Basu of Koimoi gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, and wrote, "2 States is barely unwatchable but misses the magic of Chetan Bhagat’s novel. As a stand alone, it is endearingly done with Alia and Arjun’s scorching chemistry coming off as adorable. The Bhagat fan in me is disappointed but the cinegoer isn’t." DNA posted, the first half of the film is light and breezy and the second dramatic and emotional, perhaps a better balance would have helped the post interval portion which seems heavy.
Hindustan Times Anupama Chopra gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5, and said, "In 2 States, the story is the weakest link. The film is bolstered by talented actors, gorgeous songs by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, nice styling, sumptuous production design and a few sparkling moments. But in the second half, 2 States falls apart. At almost two-and-a-half hours, it’s also stretched so thin that by the time Krish and Ananya walk into the sunset, you are long past caring". Concerning Kapoor and Bhatt, she said, "Arjun, departing from his earlier violent roles, makes a nicely goofy and later subdued lover boy, but it’s Alia who lights up the screen." Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, and wrote, "2 States is a cross-culture love story that strives to be sweet, funny and emotionally wrenching all at once. It is occasionally funny and sweet in parts all right, but the family drama at the film’s core has a severely stultified feel. The trouble is that the impending wedding remains impending far too long to sustain interest... it sets out to be a slice-of-life drama about a real couple grappling with the politics of inter-community marriage, but it fails to generate enough energy and warmth to draw the audience into a tight clinch". Shubra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, and said, "2 States... sets out to be a solid, emotionally satisfying rom com, and goes well for a bit but then turns into a too-stretched-out 'jhagda' between the two sets of North-South parents. The smooth, engaging first half descends, post-interval, into mopey melodrama, and I got impatient waiting for the inevitable resolution." She praised Bhatt's performance, saying, "...Alia Bhatt is a surprise. She leaves behind her earlier films, and gets into her character: she may not be an authentic 'Southie' in terms of body language, but she is all girl, easy and fresh and natural."

Awards

;21st Screen Awards
;60th Filmfare Awards
;7th Mirchi Music Awards
The film has been remade in Telugu with same name starring Adivi Sesh and Shivani.