AK vs AK (2020) film review

 

Director Vikramaditya Motwane handholds you in a watch of this unreal world  

image credits: IMDb

  AK vs AK is available to stream on - NETFLIX

Directed by: Vikramaditya Motwane

Story: Avinash Sampath. Screenplay: Avinash Sampath, Vikramaditya Motwane. Dialogues: Anurag Kashyap

Cinematography: Swapnil Sonawane

Starring: Anil Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap, Yogita Bihani

 

Trailer link given at the end of this article.

AK vs. AK is one of those interesting movies which the Hindi film industry rarely produces. It has suspense, thrill, and humour sprinkled all over it. Sprinkled, but not loaded with those elements. What it is as a whole, is a very interesting form of a film, where the lines of reel and real is blurred. In any sequence of the film, the audience takes away both the elements of fiction and real simultaneously. Director Vikramaditya Motwane excels in presenting this unique form and in developing the sub-plots with fellow screenwriter Avinash Sampath. What the film misses is giving more breathing space for the sequences, so that the viewers could engage deeper in the drama (even if it is a thriller).
For those, who seek to watch something new and different, give this film a watch.

In the movie, real life famous film personalities (Anil Kapoor & Anurag Kashyap) act as themselves (or rather, they act as how their fans and trolls think they are). The names of people, their familial relationships, locations and major action scenes are real. What's fictitious is the overall story.

The characters of both the AKs in the movie are what you see of any celebrity in an interview. Street speak, they don't keep it real, but the viewers are made to believe it's real.

The camera has been handheld throughout the length of the film and the movements are sudden, which brings the viewers close to the characters and situations, and thus, experience the thrill and tension of the chase more closely. Director Vikramaditya Motwane wants the audience to fully immerse in the suspenseful story-world of the film.

In the plot of the story, a director - Anurag Kashyap, kidnaps the daughter of a famous Hindi film actor, Anil Kapoor, and the latter has to find her within 10 hours without involving the police or any other outsider. Also, everything Kapoor does in those hours will be recorded to make a realistic thriller movie. The director will be there with the actor during these hours and if the actor hurts him in any way, the daughter, Sonam Kapoor, will also get hurt by the director's (kidnapper’s) associates in a similar way.

Anil Kapoor in the film is an aging famous actor who goes through the worst day of his life, to prove his merit in acting, and dominance in the Hindi film industry.

As the plot unfolds, the tension in him heightens with his inability to find his daughter, Sonam. This tension is clearly visible in his remarkable acting. When Netflix had dropped in the promotional video of Anil and Jackie Shroff mocking Anurag Kashyap's filmography, before the release of this film, I could clearly remember the cheery, naive character played by Anil Kapoor alongside Jackie in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parinda (1989). The Anil Kapoor in this film though, shows dynamism in his acting prowess. The fear of getting his child kidnapped because of his own feud, the tension of not being able to find her on time, the athleticism in chase sequences, and most importantly, the decision to do this risky film, are all the factors which makes the viewers appreciate his talent and will to survive in the cinema industry.

Anurag Kashyap in the film is a blowhard director, whose ego is inflated until it crashes down. As Anil gets pulled deep into the Taken-esque chase, Anurag gets excited in seeing the protagonist of his thriller movie getting deeper into the character. What us audience fail to see is the depth in Anurag's acting to show this excitement, or those intense emotions at the last act of the film. Given the real-fictitious juxtaposition of the film form, it becomes tough to know whether to appreciate or dismiss his vague acting skill shown in the film.

The characters, the camera, it's camera operator and their reflection is often seen on the mirrors. The characters and their reflection represent some internal conflict or moral dilemma in them. Director Motwane makes a distinctive choice by deliberately showing the camera and camera operator on the mirror, occasionally. It perhaps let's the viewers know that whatever they see on screen (and not just this film) is a mere play. That it's not meant to be taken seriously, like Anurag and Anil - in this film - do not take their perceived image of fame seriously.

When the characters are either in some internal or external conflict and the viewers see a camera recording, they have to question the authenticity and seriousness of what they are seeing... be it a film, or news.

Another aspect of this could be that the camera itself is a character. The only invisible entity watching and recording (in the minds) all the action is you, the audience.

Motwane takes humorous digs at both Anurag and Anil's film industry lives. Anurag being that director who doesn't make low grade commercial films and Anil being the superstar actor.

In one scene, Boney Kapoor straight away say that one shouldn't do a lot of rehearsals. 'You haven't given a hit after doing a lot of rehearsals, Anurag!'

Right before the major plot of the film unfolds, Anurag waits to meet Anil, outside a studio set where a worker of Anil’s set hands him over a plate with leftover cake. Anurag accepts it with a sad face. This little scene somehow shows the way bigshots of the film industry used to treat him (or filmmakers like him) with either money or any resource in the major part of his (real life) career.

The tax theft among the top earners of the country in any industry is no secret. AK vs AK shows it slyly, as when Anil asks for the commissioner's number immediately after knowing about his daughter's kidnapping, the assistant hands him over the income tax commissioner's phone number immediately.

Ultimately, AK vs AK tries hard to prove an opinion that you can't survive in the film industry if you aren't mad. It is a unique film, which shall most likely be discussed among film students for years to come. Such attempts by Indian filmmakers will open new and unique directions for Indian cinema to explore.

 

You can watch AK vs AK on NETFLIX.

 

CLICK HERE to watch the TRAILER of AK vs AK

 

CLICK HERE to watch a SCENE of AK vs AK