Kapoor & Sons

<p>Estranged brothers Rahul and Arjun Kapoor return to their childhood home in after their 90-year-old grandfather, Amarjeet, suffers a . Rahul is a successful based in , while Arjun, living in , struggles to get his books published and works part-time as a . Their parents, Harsh and Sunita, appear to favor Rahul for his achievements, leading to resentment and tension within the family. Harsh and Sunita’s marriage is strained due to financial difficulties and Harsh’s past with a former colleague, Anu. Amidst the domestic discord, Amarjeet expresses his desire for a complete family portrait titled “Kapoor & Sons, since 1921.” Meanwhile, Arjun meets and is attracted to Tia Malik, a spirited young woman in Coonoor. Unaware of their mutual connection, Rahul also meets Tia and is kissed by her during an outing, though she later confesses to a friend that she has feelings for Arjun. At Amarjeet’s birthday celebration, tensions escalate when Anu makes an unexpected appearance, revealing Rahul had invited her in an effort to reconcile his parents. Later, Tia opens up to Arjun about her own tragic past, having lost her parents in a plane crash on her thirteenth birthday. Efforts to take the family photo unravel when long-held secrets emerge. Sunita learns of Rahul’s relationship with another man, while Rahul discovers Harsh never ended his affair with Anu. Tia also informs Arjun about her kiss with Rahul, leading to further conflict. In the midst of the chaos, Sunita storms off and Harsh, while attempting to reach her by phone, is fatally injured in a car accident. Following the funeral, Rahul comes out to Arjun, who responds with support. Rahul and Arjun depart for London and respectively, but months later receive a video message from Amarjeet expressing loneliness and urging them to return. The family reunites in Coonoor, where Sunita finally accepts Rahul’s sexuality, Arjun reconnects with Tia, and his book nears publication. They ultimately fulfill Amarjeet’s wish by taking the family photograph, with a cardboard cutout of Harsh placed in remembrance. In early 2015, officially announced , a family-centric drama to be directed by under the banner. The film was confirmed to star , , and in lead roles, with Rishi Kapoor cast as the grandfather of the titular family. In interviews, Johar described the film as “a tough one to cast,” revealing that the role eventually played by Khan was initially turned down by six actors. “There was a point when we almost didn’t make it,” Johar stated. “We kept it on the backburner for over a year. No one was willing to do Fawad Khan’s role. After multiple rejections, I told Shakun Batra to drop the idea, and he began developing a new script instead.” The project was revived after Khan accepted the role, allowing the film to move forward into production. The film’s soundtrack was composed by , , , , , and , with the background score provided by Sameer Uddin. Lyrics were written by Badshah, , , Dr. Devendra Kafir, and Abhiruchi Chand. acquired the . The soundtrack consists of five tracks and was released on 16 March 2016. The first single, “Kar Gayi Chull”, a party track adapted from Badshah’s earlier independent song, was released on 17 February 2016. The second single, “Bolna”, a romantic ballad, followed on 24 February 2016. At the , Sameer Uddin won for his work on the film. was released across 1,500 screens in India on 18 March 2016, with 900 prints. It earned ₹6.85 crore on its opening day, making it the fourth-highest opening for a Hindi film that year at the time. On its second day, it collected ₹7.75 crore, bringing its two-day total to ₹14.60 crore. The film earned ₹11.75 crore on its first Sunday, concluding its opening weekend with ₹26.35 crore, the second-highest opening weekend of the year. By the end of its first week, the film had collected ₹47 crore, ranking as the second-highest first-week total of the year, behind . It continued to perform steadily, collecting ₹17.14 crore in its second week and raising its two-week total to ₹65.07 crore. After three weeks, the film’s domestic net collection stood at ₹71.57 crore, with a gross collection of ₹102.24 crore, becoming the third Indian film of the year to surpass ₹100 crore in gross revenue. Internationally, earned ₹19.27 crore in its opening weekend, the highest first-weekend overseas total for a Hindi film in 2016 at the time. In , it was released on 67 screens and collected ₹1.3 crore on its first day. The opening weekend total in the country was ₹3.6 crore, setting a new record for the highest opening weekend for a film, surpassing (2014). By the end of its theatrical run, the film had earned ₹17.9 crore (US$2.1 million) in , ₹11.7 crore (US$1.4 million) in the , ₹6.39 crore (US$760,000) in Pakistan, ₹5.28 crore (US$620,000) in the , ₹1.73 crore (US$200,000) in , ₹0.63 crore (US$75,000) in , ₹0.14 crore (US$17,000) in , and ₹0.19 crore (US$22,000) in . The film’s total overseas gross reached ₹47.8 crore (US$5.7 million), ranking it as the fourth-highest-grossing Hindi film in overseas markets for 2016, behind , , and . Upon release, received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise directed at its screenplay, direction, soundtrack, and performances, especially those of , , , and . In India, Srijana Mitra Das of rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling its story the central strength and describing it as a “real family full of uncomfortable secrets, awkward jealousies, and sharp pain.” Rohit Vats of also gave 4 stars, describing it as “a fantastic family drama after a long time.” Harshada Rege of praised the ensemble cast, noting that Khan stood out for portraying a “perfect son with a secret” and demonstrating “versatility and vulnerability with equal ease.” of awarded 3.5 stars and highlighted the naturalistic performances. of gave a similar rating, describing the film as “intense and incisive” yet entertaining. of gave the film 3 stars, stating that while the characters were well drawn, the film became overly melodramatic in its final act. Rachit Gupta of commended the screenplay and declared it “a tough act to follow” for other releases that year. Subha Shetty-Saha of noted the effectiveness of the casting, while Dhriti Sharma of described the film as a “beautiful tiara” blending comedy and emotional depth. Other Indian reviewers echoed these sentiments. called the film “excellent” and “a must watch with your entire family,” and Stutee Ghosh of gave it 4.5 stars, praising the humor and plot development, though noting Khan’s appearance could be distracting. Mehul S. Thakkar of credited director Shakun Batra with elevating the ensemble narrative, describing the film as a “new benchmark” in family drama. In a dissenting view, of awarded 2 stars, critiquing some performances and calling Rishi Kapoor’s role “out-of-sync.” of described the film as “the ultimate family film,” commending the layered narrative and calling Khan’s performance “charming and delightful.” Ananya Bhattacharya of rated it 3.5 stars and praised the depiction of familial conflict, cinematography, and performances. Anna M.M. Vetticad of described the film as “hilarious, heartwarming and heartbreaking,” while highlighting its understated social commentary. Nirmalya Dutta of described Khan’s portrayal of a gay character as “a big leap forward for India’s LGBT movement.” Internationally, the film was also well received. Surabhi Redkar of gave it 3.5 stars and described it as a modern family drama with emotional resonance. Manjusha Radhakrishnan of rated it similarly, highlighting the ensemble performances. Rachel Slatz of remarked that the film maintained its “lived-in quality” despite tonal shifts. Deepa Gauri of , while awarding 2.5 stars, commended Khan’s performance and the film’s initial realism. Suprateek Chatterjee of offered a mixed review, stating that the film felt “bloated” despite its strong intentions. Media outlets in Pakistan and other regions also praised the film. lauded Batra’s direction and the cast’s performances, while Zeshan Ahmad of called it “a must-watch” due to its script and execution. rated it 8/10, describing it as “methodically planned,” and noted its visual and emotional appeal. Arva Aslam of attributed the film’s success to its ensemble cast.</p>