The Udaan, Lootera and Trapped fame director who also produced Queen, NH10, Udta Punjab and Manmarziyaan, Vikramaditya Motwane is back with one of the most awaited films of the year, ‘AK vs AK’. The two main leads of the film are the superstar of the 90’s Anil Kapoor and flag bearer of dark cinema director and actor Anurag Kashyap.
The controversy around their hostility back in the day when Kashyap was starting out in the industry set a very tight premise of the film. What further added fuel to the fire was the intriguing style of promotion. From a very happening and crazy trailer to a Diss Track, every promotional video only took the hostility a couple of notches up.
A video was released on the Netflix India’s YouTube channel where the two leads had swapped their houses. In the video, everything they said about one another only pushed people to look forward to the film even more eagerly, if it was possible anymore.
The storyline of the movie is simple. After a public row between a movie star and a director, the latter kidnaps the former’s daughter to get back at him. But what keeps you hooked to the movie is how real it feels. From calling the characters by the actors’ names to even letting the character live the life of the actors, every smart little move adds to the mystery and thrill of the movie.
The most refreshing thought the movie brings to the table is how it has been shot. Yogita Bihani, who plays Anurag Kashyap’s assistant Yogita, has done a phenomenal job. The story of the movie is captured by the assistant and you could see and hear her, making the camera very present and visible. Nowhere in the film would you believe otherwise.
The little references of real-life incidents and anecdotes from the actors’ careers add another layer to it, making it all feel very real and believable. Another smart move was to include the actors’ real families. From Sonam Kapoor, Harshvardhan Kapoor, Boney Kapoor to Anurag Kashyap’s parents, everything diminishes the line between reel and real.
The much-awaited movie is very intriguing in the first half, however, the second half was a little underwhelming and predictable. The fact that the movie has only two people and how their lives are intertwined leaves you with not much to choose from. The climax was something you would kind of see coming. But that does not make the film any less entertaining. It has a certain drive that will keep you hooked to it until the end.
It is also surprising to see Anil Kapoor like never before and Anurag Kashyap, yet again, getting into the skin of the character. Not to forget, he was playing himself this time. With emotions, thrill, dark comedy and an intrigue surrounding the story, AK vs AK is a ride, you must hop on to!
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