Kapoor & Sons (2016) Review: A Family in Disrepair

Is Kapoor & Sons worth watching?

It depends on your taste for family drama, but for viewers who like their families argumentative and imperfect, Kapoor & Sons is one of the more grown-up Hindi films of the 2010s. Shakun Batra lets a household fall apart on screen with a candour that mainstream Hindi cinema rarely allows, and the ensemble is excellent. The film is less sure-footed when it shifts from observational comedy to heavy melodrama, and its romantic subplot is thin.

What is Kapoor & Sons about?

Two estranged brothers return to their family home in the hill town of Coonoor after their ageing grandfather falls ill. Rahul (Fawad Khan), the elder, is the polished, successful one; Arjun (Sidharth Malhotra), the younger, is still struggling to find his footing, and the old rivalry between them flares almost as soon as they arrive. Their parents, played by Ratna Pathak Shah and Rajat Kapoor, are locked in a marriage that is visibly fraying, while the grandfather, played by Rishi Kapoor under heavy old-age make-up, mostly wants everyone to pose for one last family photograph.

Alia Bhatt plays Tia, a free-spirited young woman whose arrival complicates things further. Kapoor & Sons is directed by Shakun Batra, is in Hindi and runs 137 minutes.

A house that is allowed to be ugly

The film’s great virtue is its willingness to let its family be unpleasant. Arguments overlap, old grievances resurface over trivial things, and the house itself seems to be falling apart, with leaks and broken fixtures standing in for the relationships inside it. Batra stages domestic chaos with an ear for the way families really talk, talking over each other, dredging up old slights and making peace only to start again. It is a refreshing change from the glossy, harmonious households of many Hindi family films.

The comedy comes naturally from that chaos, particularly in the early scenes, and the film captures the specific awkwardness of adult children returning to a home that no longer quite fits them.

An ensemble that carries the weight

Ratna Pathak Shah is the standout, giving the mother a brittle, wounded pride that makes every scene she is in feel lived-in. Rajat Kapoor matches her as a husband who is evasive rather than villainous, and their scenes together are the film’s strongest. Rishi Kapoor, almost unrecognisable under the make-up, is a mischievous delight as the grandfather, providing much of the humour without turning the character into a cartoon.

Fawad Khan brings quiet reserve to the elder brother, and Sidharth Malhotra is effective as the more openly resentful younger one, though he is less nuanced than the veterans around him. Alia Bhatt brings energy and warmth, but Tia is underwritten, existing mainly to trigger the brothers’ rivalry.

Where it loses its balance

The film’s weaknesses emerge as it moves from comedy towards drama. The second half leans on heightened confrontations and a more melodramatic register, and not all of its shifts in tone land. Some revelations are handled with sensitivity; others feel engineered to maximise tears. At 137 minutes, it also runs a little long, with the romantic subplot in particular slowing things down. The result is a film that is often admirable but uneven, more successful in its observations than in its big emotional moments.

Who should watch Kapoor & Sons?

It is best for viewers who enjoy ensemble family dramas and are comfortable with a film that swings between comedy and heartache. Fans of the cast, especially Rishi Kapoor and Ratna Pathak Shah, will find their performances worth the time alone. It deals with family conflict, marital strife and illness, with some strong language, and suits teenagers and adults.

If it appeals:

• Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, a louder, more colourful Hindi comedy-drama about clashing families, also featuring Alia Bhatt.
• Laapataa Ladies, a gentler, more tightly controlled Hindi film about family and the lives women are expected to live.

The verdict

Kapoor & Sons is a messy, honest and often funny family drama, lifted by superb performances from Ratna Pathak Shah and Rishi Kapoor and a rare willingness to show a family at its worst. Its tonal shifts, thin romance and heavy-handed second half keep it uneven, so whether it works for you will depend on your appetite for domestic drama.

Rating: 3/5