AK vs AK

I always look forward to a Vikramaditya Motwane film. He always tries to do something new and there's no guessing what he's gonna come up with next. AK vs AK is another experimental but fun film to watch.

After a public feud with Anil Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap decides to take revenge by kidnapping his daughter and films Kapoor's search for her in real time.

I was curious to see how a film like this would play out as it's something Bollywood doesn't normally do. I love the idea of a film being meta and there have been some great ones in the past like Adaptation. AK vs AK had a very interesting concept and whilst it's execution isn't completely perfect, I was still pleasantly surprised by how well it worked.

Whilst Kapoor and Kashyap play heightened versions of themselves, it was fun to see the amount of insults hurled at one another with some jokes made about the Bollywood industry. Despite knowing this is a work of fiction, Vikramaditya Motwane and Avinash Sampath sprinkle enough truths to make it seem authentic enough. The experimental reality show style filled with long takes really demands the acting chops of Kapoor and Kashyap. There are some great scenes such as a certain chase sequence and one taking place at a police station which asks a lot from Anil Kapoor who gives it his all. I have to admire the amount of work and effort he put into this role since there was so much he had to do. I haven't seen Anurag Kashyap act before but he did a pretty decent job with his evil smirk.

AK vs AK has its handful of inside jokes but Motwane doesn't stop there as he also examines the effect of being famous and the relationship stars have with fans. During his search, Kapoor is constantly asked by the public for selfies and autographs and also has to perform for them before he gets the answers he needs to find Sonam Kapoor. It further shows how the public have the power. Despite enjoying the film, here were some flaws present. By the third act the film eventually loses steam and the end twist did not work for me.

For what it was, I think AK vs AK is a film worth your time. It's rare to come across movies like this in Bollywood and whilst it's one of Motwane's weaker films, I would still like people to give it a try and support inventive and experimental content like this.

Where the line between reel and real blurs, a film like AK vs AK is born. A refreshing meta-movie where the cold vibes between a struggling director (Anurag Kashyap) and a longtime star (Anil Kapoor) reach an all-time high during a TV show and escalate into a hostage situation, AK vs AK makes you believe in the possibility of something like this actually playing out. The two leads are the ideal choices - Kapoor, at 64, is still relevant in Bollywood but rarely gets acclaimed roles, whereas Kashyap's films never rake in box office moolah. While the former has successfully introduced his children to Bollywood, the latter is a highly vocal Twitter user who's never short of controversy.

When these names play fictionalized versions of themselves, bringing a fair amount of prior reality-baggage into the mix (the bit about Allwyn Kalicharan is real, Kapoor's birthday being 24th December is real), things stay wholly interesting. Also, it helps that the proceedings are shown to unfold in real-time. The director is shown to have a steady upper hand over the actor as the plot thickens. Even in the midst of what looks like a serious search for a missing person, the film reminds us that it's quintessentially Bollywood. There's the scene where a battered and bruised Anil Kapoor breaks into a dance routine from one of his earlier films, entertaining a crowd to extract the information he needs.

AK vs AK also gets pointy in its dialogues (written by Kashyap himself), especially when an injured Anil Kapoor sits on the side of a road reminiscing what he went through - often picking profession over family - because the allure of stardom can be intoxicating as hell. A comical stretch where Harsh (Kapoor's actor son) goes overboard with his admiration for Kashyap is also filled with inside jokes aplenty. Sarcasm and curse words are thrown at each other in a free-flowing hate conversation between Kapoor and Kashyap, adding a tinge of honest seriousness to the plot. It's only the final-final reveal that didn't really strike me as particularly innovative, in a way undoing the emotional emphasis of what had transpired until then. It's a fun 108-minute watch, filmed in a self-aware, mockumentary style that befits the concept.

Something different from the usual web series or movies. You will definitely feel to watch it again. Fantastic acting of both the AKs.

Nice concept, and great portrayal! A regime shift in Bollywood is happening, and this movie is a flagbearer of that change. The mass will cater to art, and stupid commercial films from 'mega'stars are going to be tossed away by public as we have stiff competition from scripts like this!

Ak vs Ak stars anil kapoor and anurag kashyap and many actors playing themselves in a fictional plot. When anil kapoor and anurag kashyap have a fight in media, anurag gets boycotted from the industry. In order to bounce back, anurag approaches anil on his birthday revealing that his daughter sonam is kidnapped and he must find her before sunrise. All this would be shot by anurag for his next film. Rest of the film is how anil finds sonam. Plot is very interesting. It drives the whole film. Anil kapoor is energetic as usual and kashyap just plays himself. Sonam kapoor is pathetic even being kidnapped as she appears with heavy makeup. But the climax is little disappointing which is like compromised to satisfy the male superstar ego. On the whole, ak vs ak is another different offering from vikramaditya motwane.