AK vs. AK Movie Review

Movie Summary

Vikramaditya Motwane's black comedy thriller AK vs. AK, which he directed, is the first film to be released under his own label Andolan Films in 2020 and is made in the Indian language of Hindi. The dialogue is written by Anurag Kashyap, who also plays the lead character alongside Anil Kapoor. Harshvardhan Kapoor, as well as Yogita Bihani, also play significant roles.

The plot, which Avinash Sampath created, uses a film-within-a-film narrative in which the significant performers portray fictionalized avatars of themselves. Following a public argument between eccentric director Kashyap and aging actor Anil Kapoor, the former kidnap the latter's daughter (Sonam Kapoor) in addition forces Kapoor to look for her while his personal assistant (Bihani) films them for his upcoming project, with the majority of the movie being seen through her camera. Sampath came up with the concept for the movie in 2013, and after sending it to Motwane, work on it began. The movie was originally going to be called AK vs. SK, and Shahid Kapoor was going to play himself in the other role. However, due to scheduling issues, the movie was shelved in 2016.

Anil Kapoor was cast in the lead role, and a new script was used to revive the project in the latter half of 2019. Filming began a few months later, and on December 24, 2020?Kapoor's 64th birthday?AK vs. AK made its Netflix debut as a whole of the service's original films. This came after an unexpected marketing campaign was launched a few weeks prior to the movie's release. Initial reviews were favourable, praising the film's inventive plot, the performances of its two stars, and its examination of the movie business. Critics, however, felt that the build-up to the finale was lacklustre.

Synopsis of Movie

Following a public argument with a film star, a discredited director responds by kidnapping the star's daughter documenting the search for her.

Analysis and Critic Remarks

On December 24, 2020?Kapoor's birthday and the day the majority of the movie takes place?AK vs. AK was made available on Netflix as an original movie. In the days before its premiere, critics gave the movie largely favourable reviews. The movie received praise for its originality for its Meta, mockumentary-like structure, which Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV commented, "Hindi Cinema's Halley's Comet." The acting of Kapoor and Kashyap was also positively appreciated; Tanul Thakur of The Wire complimented Kapoor's portrayal as "raw, real, searing," while Bollywood Hungama called it "one of the finest portrayals of his career." Anupama Chopra of Film Companion marked, "Like so many Meta films, it ultimately trips on its own cleverness and especially hits a dead end." However, the concluding sequences and the ending twist were thought to be quite underwhelming. Given four out of five stars by critics, Mike McCahill of The Guardian described the movie as a "postmodern surprise" in "an undistinguished pandemic year in Indian cinema." Rahul Desai of Film Companion believed that the movie's 2020 release "elevates the cheeky Netflix thrillers into the realms of profound social messaging." Rajpal gave the movie a less favourable assessment, claiming that the "meta" structure hindered the story and that the editing and pacing were poor.

According to Motwane in an interview, "We didn't make a comment intentionally; the aim was also to set up the film for an audience that isn't voyeuristic about the industry." As well as more basic inquiries concerning the roles and standards of the film industry, numerous reviews have examined the movie's use of insider knowledge about the reputations of the key performers and Bollywood in general. The fight between the two main protagonists has been interpreted as a stand-in for the struggle between well-known figures with a track record of nepotism, like Kashyap and Kapoor, members of the "first family members of Indian cinema," and relative outsiders. Some people interpreted a scene in which Kapoor must perform for the audience to learn where Javed is as a statement on how the general public continues to control movie actors via being able to judge their level of success.

Cast Members of the Movie

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Audience Reviews

"I recently watched the Hindi documentary AK vs. AK, which is also based on real events. Everyone must understand this, "Where there is a will, there is a way", in which Both Have Found It and Anil Kapoor Faces Anurag Kashyap with a Huge Cringe and Expression."

"Finally, a movie where the characters' real names may actually be used. I had to see AK vs. AK because of the concept and trailer alone, and I must applaud the creators for thinking of something fresh and original. The film's balance of suspense and sarcasm is almost ideal, and at moments it isn't afraid to poke fun at the realistic portrayal of the movie business. With a realistic, distinctive, and original plot delivered with generous portions of tension, action, and black humour, this is some seriously high-caliber cinema. Despite not being a fun movie, the realistic humour was cleverly constructed and kept audiences laughing the entire time."

"I saw AK vs. AK with low expectations because there have been so many awful films recently, yet I was pleasantly pleased. Anil Sir's amazing performance and original concept were like a breath of air of renewal. The majority of the movie keeps you firmly attached to your couch, but a few moments could have been tighter. While the movie's setting and major theme are fairly obvious from the trailer, there's also much more to the film than what you might anticipate."