2 States

<p>Krish Malhotra, a from , is a graduate from pursuing an at . At college, he meets Ananya Swaminathan, a from . The two become close after she asks to study with him, and their friendship gradually evolves into a romantic relationship. After a brief separation, Krish confesses his feelings, and they begin dating, eventually living together during the final months of their course. Krish, who harbors ambitions of becoming a , proposes to Ananya during , and she accepts. He secures a job with , while Ananya joins . The couple attempts to introduce their parents during the , but the meeting turns sour due to cultural differences, especially between Krish’s outspoken mother, Kavita, and Ananya’s reserved parents, Shiv and Radha. Kavita disapproves of Ananya and urges Krish to consider a traditional . Choosing to be near Ananya, Krish opts to work in Chennai, despite his parents’ disapproval. In Chennai, Krish makes efforts to win over Ananya’s family. He tutors her younger brother Manju for the , secures a singing opportunity for Radha at a corporate event, and helps Shiv with a presentation. These gestures eventually earn the Swaminathans’ approval for the marriage. Krish and Ananya then travel to Delhi to gain Kavita’s support. Ananya impresses the family by intervening in a dispute at a cousin’s wedding, leading to grudging acceptance from Kavita. The families agree to a joint vacation in Mumbai before the wedding, hoping to bond. However, tensions resurface when Kavita continues making disparaging remarks about . Matters worsen when Ananya overhears Krish privately telling his mother she can act however she wants after the wedding. Feeling betrayed, Ananya ends the relationship. Krish becomes depressed and begins writing a about their relationship. He even meets Ananya in Chennai, where she advises him to no longer communicate with her. However, Ananya unexpectedly calls Krish and reveals that Krish’s estranged father, Vikram—an with whom Krish shares a troubled history—had visited her family to apologize and request their approval. Moved by his gesture, Ananya reconciles with Krish, and the families agree to proceed with the wedding. Vikram initially declines to attend but appears at the last moment to make peace with Kavita. Following their marriage in Chennai, Ananya gives birth to twin boys. Krish resigns from his banking job to become a full-time writer and publishes a novel based on their journey, titled . The initial casting plans for involved multiple iterations. The project was originally conceived with and in the lead roles, with attached to direct. Subsequently, the film was to feature and under the direction of , but this version did not materialize. was also approached for the role of Krish Malhotra; however, he declined in favor of starring in (2013). Eventually, Arjun Kapoor was finalized to portray Krish Malhotra. The role of Ananya Swaminathan was first offered to , , and , who declined the part citing a lack of interest in the role. was later cast as the female lead. Supporting roles were filled by and as Krish’s parents, and and as Ananya’s parents. began on 29 January 2013 with the filming of a song sequence. Key portions were shot in , , and across multiple locations in , including the (IIM-A), Gol Limda Bhajiya House near Astodia Darwaza, the city’s railway station, and the police commissioner’s office. Alia Bhatt’s wardrobe, designed by , reflected a fusion of traditional and contemporary styles to match her character, a modern Tamil woman who primarily speaks the language with her parents. The song “Offo” was choreographed by and was designed to depict the progression of several Indian festivals over the course of a year. The sequence was filmed across four days at IIM Ahmedabad and in Mumbai. The completed film received a U/A certification from the . The background score for was composed by Tubby–Parik, while the songs were composed by with lyrics by . The first single, “Offo”, performed by and , was released on 7 March 2014, followed by “Locha-E-Ulfat”, sung by , on 13 March 2014. The full album was released on 16 March 2014 under T-Series. The soundtrack received positive responses, with tracks such as “Offo”, “Mast Magan”, “Iski Uski”, “Locha-E-Ulfat”, and “Chandaniya” becoming commercial chartbusters. Additionally, the medley piece “Isaiyin Alai”, featured during the concert sequence in the film, was sung by Mahalaxmi Iyer. The album earned Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy the and . The for was released alongside the theatrical release of on 7 February 2014. opened to strong box office numbers across India. According to , it earned ₹120 million (US$1.4 million) nett on its opening day, followed by ₹118 million (US$1.4 million) on the second day, bringing the two-day total to ₹238 million (US$2.8 million). The film performed particularly well in key circuits including , – , , , CI, Nizam, and . It registered a weekend collection of ₹280 million (US$3.3 million) nett and was declared a “super hit” by . The film concluded its theatrical run with a domestic nett total of ₹811 million (US$9.6 million). Internationally, the film grossed approximately US$5.85 million, becoming the second-highest overseas earner among Hindi films in 2014 at that time, following . received generally positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for its music, performances, and relatable storyline. of awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it “one of the finest movies to come out of the Hindi film industry of late” and “strongly recommended”. Saurabh Dwivedi of rated it 4 out of 5, remarking that the film serves as a “good mirror for parents to understand their children”. Meena Iyer of gave the film 3.5 out of 5, citing its “simple narrative told humorously” and noting that despite a sense of déjà vu for readers of the original novel, the adaptation still “manages to charm and surprise”. Paloma Sharma of also rated it 3.5 stars, stating, “There’s nothing that should keep you from watching “. Mohar Basu of gave it 3 out of 5 stars, praising the chemistry between the leads but noting that the film “misses the magic of Chetan Bhagat’s novel”. found the first half “light and breezy” but criticized the second half for being overly dramatic. More mixed responses came from other reviewers. of rated the film 2.5 out of 5, stating that while the film benefited from “talented actors” and “gorgeous songs”, the story lost momentum in the second half, describing it as “stretched so thin that by the time Krish and Ananya walk into the sunset, you are long past caring”. of also gave 2.5 stars, calling the narrative “occasionally funny and sweet” but ultimately “stultified” due to its overextended central conflict. of echoed similar sentiments, writing that while the first half was “smooth” and “engaging”, the post-interval section descended into “mopey melodrama”. However, she praised Bhatt’s performance as “easy and fresh and natural”. A -language remake of , with the same title and starring and in the lead roles, was announced in 2019. Directed by debutant Venkat Reddy and produced by , the film commenced production but was eventually shelved due to creative differences and scheduling conflicts.</p>