New Delhi: Where do we get our ideas about how people belonging to different communities behave, think and react? We learn it by observing our friends, colleagues, also neighbours, but it is Bollywood that has a big influence. Take for example Abhishek Varman's '2 States' which is based on Chetan Bhagat's bestseller. The film is loaded with several stereotypes about Tamilians and Punjabis done in a tasteful way without being too unpleasant. So as the juxtaposition between Krish's Punjabi family and Ananya's Tamilian parents exudes uneasiness and anxiety, their traits also resonate with the viewers.
Yes, Punjabi mother-in-laws, as most of us have seen in reality, can be a bit short-tempered, difficult to handle, arrogant and suspicious. They love their 'gorey chittaey' sons as much as their gifts - expensive saris, perfumes, jewelery - most importantly those 'thaeth baliyan' (hoop earrings). In a nutshell, Amrita Singh was compelling and convincing in playing a possessive mother, who'd want her son to marry a rich 'Punjaban' for social standing and of course, the dowry. But Krish (Arjun Kapoor), no matter how winsome his grin is in '2 States', Punjabi movie buffs are going to hate him. For despite playing a Delhi-born Punjabi, Krish comes across as just another tiresome character we have watched multiple times in Bollywood films. Agreed, the film has been adapted from a book, but the makers could have incorporated a few changes. Read on to know why I find Arjun unconvincing in his role in '2 States'.
There are spoilers ahead so if you haven't seen '2 States' yet, we would suggest you to come back to this write-up later.
Scared? The word doesn’t exist in our dictionary!: It takes just about the first 15 minutes of the film to question why Krish (Arjun Kapoor) is so Goddamn scared all the time. Doesn’t he know Punjabis find nothing impossible and daunting? There is actually nothing that can sabotage our hope for love and monetary success, right? And we certainly don’t need anybody to talk us through such a situation. Hum darne nahin, daaraane walon mei se hain.
Too serious to be a Punjabi: Agreed, one ought to be serious and studious to crack CAT and turn IIM Ahmedabad interview into an admit call. But isn’t life a lot healthier, less complex and complete if you have a great sense of humour? Yes, we can roll on the floor laughing virtually anything – Honey Singh songs, South Indian films dubbed in Hindi, saas-bahu bickering and just the thought of living a serious life! Arjun, this is our way of saying we wouldn’t let stress overcome us, ever.
Not a single Punjabi dialogue?! Did we hear Arjun speak in Punjabi? Not a word! The fact that he is born and brought in Delhi, Arjun is expected to know ‘thodi jayee’ (a bit of) Punjabi. But what held him back from speaking his mother tongue? By performing a few dance steps at a big fat wedding, he can’t deceive the proud Punjabis.
Travelling by an auto rickshaw? So LS!: If you have affluent Punjabis in your friends circle, you’d know what they love splurging on. Yes, they love luxury cars. And because of the emotional connection they share with popular brands, they are never reluctant to shell out money for high-status goods. And auto rickshaw is never an option. Arjun, was it too tough to arrange a bullet?
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