User reviews

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.

Fresh Unusual Good Great Jhakaas

You'll love Anil Kapoor 10 times even more after watching this film. His performance is great and mixed with a fresh and amazing concept like this What a combination! It's daring to attempt something so unusual and successfully engage the audience and entertain them too.

The people giving 1 star reviews are actually salman khan fans 😂😂

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.

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.

What a performance, anilkapoor's come back, it should have been released in thetare, Anurag you are brilliant,

In this climax anil kapoor get all over the advantage which is biased if the climax not gone to any of ak in this movie would be great.

The director decided to experiment with the craft of storytelling by taking a documentary approach on a fictional story. Sadly, the experiment fell flat. Why? The execution.

The film lacks a singular approach. The director starts off with a documentary style Mira Nair film and ends it like an Abbas Mastaan plot twisting film. A singular approach would have been better. To be more clear, the first two acts are Mira Nair and the third act of the film is just another film and Abbas Mastaan film. The third act just doesn't work and the entire execution feels like a first year film school student making their first feature trying their hands at plot twists.

The first act was good and well set up, the second was dragged needlessly and the third, well, it was another film. The twists and story beats don't work here. The endless finding and chase of one of the characters in the second act was needless. One of the actors portrayed as Sherlock was an unnecessary intervention. You will find many films, especially film school ones where a writer tries to write a story or script and then his film starts playing out exactly like the screenplay and by the end the protag finds the script and reads the ending and sees it it come true. Check out THE FINAL DRAFT directed by Indranil Kashyap on youtube. Quite similar.

What works is the documentary style of shooting as the characters are real life but I know many people will have a problem with the cinematography and yes the lighting, grading and shot taking could have been better.

Honestly, it felt like Motwane didn't put the same effort as Sacred Games. It felt like one night he was having a nice drink with Kashyap and a few drinks later he said "Anurag ek mast story aya hai. Ek director ko ek superstar se true perfomance nikalwana hota hai toh woh uski beti ko kidnap karta hai aur usse dhunde bolta hai and ek camera usse follow karta." *Anurag claps and says ye toh Ram Gopal Verma jaisa director hai*. "Haan, aur sun isko documentary style shoot karengey". *Anurag is like commercial going audience will not like it.* So Motwane is like "Netflix pe daal dengey, chote screen pe kharab lighting pata nahi chalega and story mein plot twists daal dengey and end mein actor ko award jitwa dengey for feels. Like Tees Maar Khan type ending." Anurag says lets do it and here we are with 'AK vs AK'

Story and Trailor not that exciting. I was prepared for a unrealistic movie.

But it started well and Roller coaster ride begins. Full action pack 120 minutes.

Anil kapoor back in action with a bang. What a performance. Hats off.

Anurag kashyap brilliant once again.

Anurag last scene indicates AK vs ak part 2.

Overall a treat to watch

Its not average Masala movie. Its brave experiment.

Really a wonderful Gift from Bollywood to end horrible 2020

Watch it now

"AK vs AK" is ambitious & visionary to say the least. Starring two prominent personalities in Bollywood, Anil Kapoor & Anurag Kashyap. And showcasing their feud reflecting on the heated debate of Insiders vs Outsiders in this industry.

From a Story perspective, what seems like an extended reality TV show; Vikramaditya Motwane as the director successfully manages to blend two distinctive nature of content creation. At one hand, you get the aesthetics of a film and on the other hand the usual touch of a typical TV drama! A contemporary & audacious approach; that undoubtedly deserve all the praises.

Barring few set of whimsical scenarios, that do unfortunately appears; the execution has been pretty fruitful nonetheless. To experience a veteran like Anil Kapoor relishing the opportunity to act infront of hundreds of people without any visible barriers inbetween; it gives an ample amount of joy. I have seen Anurag as an actor in less convenient roles before but not in the vicinity of what he showcases this time. I adore him for what he does behind the camera; that being said, he makes an impression from the front as well!

Technically it's well made yet not upto the usual standards we all expect from Mr. Motwane. The treatment here is less darker, less grittier & above all; it lacks in emotions. Although the concept itself is fascinating enough, but it would take a hefty amount of time & diligence to get much more refined iterations of the same!

Seemed a couple of set pieces, with a running commentary . Watch it if u are bored and nothing else to do. Even the pop corn won't pop

Brilliant.. camera work is amazing ... ek dum JHAKKAAAASSSS

It started off well, felt it's interesting to watch bollywood shaming bollywood but as the story progresses, it became as surreal as anything could get. You see the entire story tries to stay on ground for us to feel the thriller but what happens half way through becomes completely illogical and messy, increasingly irritating that it becomes painful and depressing to watch. 6 stars is for the kind of story, immense effort by the crew and Anil Kapoor's acting.

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!

Best acting of Anil Kapoor so far. Just watch it. 1 camera man, 1 director and 2 actors. Never have I felt that there's an acting going on.

Sometimes you go and watch a movie with least expectation and then it turns out to be surprisingly good after watching it. Vikramaditya Motwane directed AK Vs AK is one of those thriller films which was engaging right till the end.

AK Vs AK tells the story of a heated debate in an open conference which turns ugly when a Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap decides to avenge an insult on him by a popular actor Anil Kapoor by kidnapping his daughter, Sonam Kapoor. The supposed-to-be-reality show takes a different turn when the kidnapping turns out to be true and Sonam Kapoor goes missing.

Due to the pandemic situation, we are witnessing very different and unusual content this year on OTT. Though am missing watching movies in theaters, am liking the genuine concept and innovative story line of Indian films on OTT. AK Vs AK is probably the first attempt by an Indian director to create a reality-based film with so much unexpected thrills and chases. Hats off to the writer, Avinash Sampth, and director Vikramaditya Motwane (Udaan, Trapped, Lootere) for trying out something new which is thought provoking, engaging and brilliantly acted.

On the flip side, the editing, background score and the camera work could have been better to make it an excellent but I will still not complain thanks to the brilliant concept and amazing execution. AK Vs AK belongs to both Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap for wonderful acting. Anil Kapoor impresses with his natural performance as he transforms from a movie star into a struggling father desperately trying to save his daughter. I loved Anurag Kashyap for his cunning act that keeps you entertained to the core.

AK Vs AK is one hell of a ride filled with twist and turns that will surely be enjoyed. Go for it 3.5/5

AK Vs is currently streaming on Netflix

AK vs AK is a good movie and at one point of time, I thought its real and nobody is acting. Anil kapoor once again acted like a superstar and Anurag did a good job.

A good movie to watch during this holiday season from Netflix.

This movie is so predictable with poor acting and no story at all

A good Bollywood thriller you can't miss. Fantastic performances by mr. Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap.

Good overall, good concept & good acting, little to complain on the whole but extremely disappointing climax. Felt like the story had to lean towards someone & it just made the wrong choice at the end. Just ended up making a villain out of one actor, would have been good if it was a bit balanced.

But definitely entertaining, worth a watch.

Was pretty annoying, Anil Kapoor was the only saving grace.