Hindi
Two States, Three Stages
MUMBAI: Romance is between two individuals but marriage is between two families. For many, this is the moment of realisation and the word ‘adjustment’ replaces ‘romance’. This is true even when just about everything matches in the form of caste, community and status but harder when these matters differ and hardest when a romance is between North and South for that chasm is too deep rooted going back to the Aryan-Dravidian era.
In able hands, Chetan Bhagat stories provide good themes to work on to develop into a film script. And Two States, based on Bhagat’s novel, Two States: The Story Of My Marriage, aspires to the same feat earlier achieved by the 3 Idiots team. To some degree, it succeeds.
Arjun Kapoor is Krish Malhotra, a typical Punjabi young man from Delhi pursuing his management programme at IIM Ahmedabad where Alia Bhatt, playing one Ananya Swaminathan, a fellow student, seeks his help with her studies. Romance is inevitable, and it gets more intense by the day. Arjun dreads the day Alia will call hers a sisterly love and offer to tie a rakhi, which is quite a norm in schools and colleges. He wastes no time in confessing his love for her.
Arjun has a reason for his deep love; there is no love at home. The atmosphere there is negative with his father, Ronit Roy, being drunk and violent and easily raising his hand on his mother, Amrita Singh. Arjun avoids interacting with his father and makes sure he gives all his attention to Amrita which she does not get from Ronit. The romance of Arjun and Alia has survived the two years of IIM and grown only stronger but it is time to part as the course is over and they must find jobs. Alia finds one in her hometown, Chennai. Arjun too finds a Chennai posting but Amrita, his mother, wants him to be in Delhi with her. Her plans are to flaunt her IIM graduate son to the parents of all the suitable girls. She dreams of dowries better than all others. But, eventually she relents.
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Director: Abhishek Varman. Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amrita Singh, Ronit Roy, Revathi, Shiv Subramaniam. |
Producers: Sajid Nadiadwala, Karan Johar.
Amrita and Alia’s parents, father Shiv Subramaniam and mother Revathi, are introduced at the convocation function and the chance was not worth taking looking at the outcome of that meeting. Now Two States has to go through three stages: Arjun has to win over Alia’s traditional Tamil Brahmin parents. Next, Alia has to come to Delhi and conquer the hearts of Arjun’s family. And, lastly, since marriages are between families, to work on bringing both the families together with positive vibes. Though Ronit is not a party to the events, the third stage, bringing Amrita to like Alia’s parents is the mission impossible because for Amrita there is no girl worthy of her son, least of all a ‘Madrasi’ girl.
The film breezes through while Arjun and Alia romance stage. It is all light moments and humour. Winning over of respective families is fun as both treat it as their respective challenges. The last part has an element of surprise and rounds up the film aptly. While the aversion of North and South parents for each other is amplified and nearly comes to insulting communities, it is justified in the script as both live in their own small worlds. The script provides a sense of feel-good, music is in measured levels, emotions without melodrama, and intense romance that makes other aspects acceptable.
The credit goes to director Abhishek Varman, who has also worked on adapting the Bhagat novel. Varman has done a marvellous job. Music is in keeping with the mood of situations as well as the film’s youth appeal with lyrics contributing in equal measure. Cinematography is pleasing. However, what makes Two States an endearing watch is the chemistry between Arjun and Alia who come up with amazing performances. Alia is suitably apt in all the shades of her character. Arjun gets his first chance to perform in a solo, more serious role and he does full justice. He has finally arrived. While the credit goes for perfect casting, the artistes, Amrita, Ronit, Revathi and Shiv (he should be seen on screen more often) live up to expectations.
Two States is a youth-oriented entertainer with all the necessary ingredients perfectly balanced to make it a success.
Hindi
Dhurandhar 2 hit by YouTube leak amid record box office run
Cam-rip surfaces online but blockbuster streak continues at record pace
MUMBAI: It has been a dramatic week for Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Even as the espionage thriller smashes box office records, a piracy scare briefly threatened to steal its thunder after a full-length version surfaced on YouTube.
The leak emerged on March 30 via a channel titled “A2z movie”, which uploaded what appeared to be a cam-recorded print of the film. Clocking in at nearly three hours and 49 minutes, the footage was reportedly blurry but complete enough to spark spoilers and fan outrage online.
Soon after, users on X began flagging the issue, explicitly naming the “A2z movie” channel in their posts while tagging the film’s makers and urging swift legal action. Fans of director Aditya Dhar and lead star Ranveer Singh were particularly vocal, helping the issue gain rapid traction.
Within hours, the video was taken down, likely through a mix of platform detection systems and intervention by producers Jio Studios and B62 Studios.
Despite the leak, the film’s theatrical run remains virtually unshaken. As of March 31, the sequel has raked in an estimated Rs 872.17 crore net in India, with worldwide collections soaring to Rs 1,392.23 crore. Its Hindi opening day alone brought in Rs 102.55 crore, setting a new benchmark.
In a notable milestone, the film has matched Pushpa 2 as the fastest Indian release to cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark globally, achieving the feat in just seven days.
Interestingly, the version leaked online is believed to be an earlier cut. Midway through its theatrical run, the makers issued revised prints after eagle-eyed viewers spotted a fleeting editing error involving a cameraman’s reflection. The corrected version now plays across cinemas, adding an unusual twist to the film’s release journey.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the high-stakes sequel stars Ranveer Singh alongside Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. The film has drawn praise for its scale and action sequences, though some critics have pointed to its intense violence and layered political themes.
For now, piracy may have made noise, but it has not slowed the juggernaut. If anything, the episode underlines the film’s cultural grip, proving that even a leak cannot derail a box office storm already in full force.
