2 States (2014) Review: A cross cultural rom-com which portrays the love to marriage journey of Krish a Punjabi boy and Ananya a Tamilian girl. The prime focus is on the acceptance of cross cultural marriage. The movie is a picturesque of the semi autobiographical novel by Chetan Bhagat. So we all know the plot well before watching the film so don't expect any major twists and turns. It was simple but slow moving because of the pace and long conversations. Arjun Kapoor as Krish has justified his role but it was boring to look at him with his sleep walking style of presence from the start till the end. Alia Bhatt had struggled to fit in the shoes of her role for me as a Tamilian she was not apt for a Tamil girl. I accept she is cute and beautiful but that doesn't help this character. She was good in the last movie Highway and seemed more justifying. She seemed to be pushed into the role and her face, body and expressions where too immature for the role. The cultural dressing she wore in certain scenes where too colourful and artificial. Being a Tamil girl she hardly spoke Tamil in the movie. Interesting sections where the bumping scenes of their parents. Particularly Amrita and Revathi justified their roles and lived up to their culture. Both father roles where over shadowed. The novel was itself little anti Tamil and the movie seemed to zoom up the same anti Tamil factor more. Get in for some cross cultural jokes. This is indeed a happy inter caste or to be right interstate love movie. If you liked reading the novel and wanted to get a better feel of it definitely this movie is less satisfying. Instead you can go and read it once again. But not sure this film might be a blockbuster taking into account that in recent times cross culture movies (Chennai Express) are becoming major hit. Over all 2.25/5.
-Reviewed by Sivakumar Balachandran