His son, Harsh (Rajat Kapoor), and daughter-in-law, Sunita (Ratna Pathak Shah), have a marriage strained by financial troubles and infidelity. Their two sons, Rahul (Fawad Khan) and Arjun (Sidharth Malhotra), return home from London and New York, respectively.
Why it works
| Character | Actor | Key traits | |-----------|-------|-------------| | Rahul Kapoor | Fawad Khan | Elder son, successful writer in the US, seemingly perfect but hiding a secret. | | Arjun Kapoor | Sidharth Malhotra | Younger son, struggling aspiring novelist, works odd jobs (including bartending), resentful of Rahul. | | Tia | Alia Bhatt | A lively local girl who becomes a romantic interest for both brothers; carries her own hidden pain. | | Sunita Kapoor | Ratna Pathak Shah | Mother, tries to keep the family together, aware of the husband’s affair. | | Harsh Kapoor | Rajat Kapoor | Father, failed businessman, having an affair with an Englishwoman. | | Daduji (Grandfather) | Rishi Kapoor (final film role released in his lifetime) | 90-year-old former professor, wants “one good photograph before he dies.” Witty, sharp, lonely. | kapoor and sons 2016
The ensemble cast delivered what many consider their career-best work: His son, Harsh (Rajat Kapoor), and daughter-in-law, Sunita
The plot centers on the Kapoor family in Coonoor, brought back together when the 90-year-old grandfather, , suffers a heart attack. His simple dying wish is for a complete family photograph. | | Arjun Kapoor | Sidharth Malhotra |
Bollywood cinema has historically relied on the trope of the unified Indian family, often portraying the household as a sanctuary of moral certitude where conflicts are resolved through melodrama and submission to patriarchal order. Kapoor & Sons , directed by Shakun Batra, disrupts this tradition. Set in the scenic yet confining locale of Coonoor, the film uses the impending death of the grandfather, Amarjeet Kapoor (Rishi Kapoor), as a catalyst to expose the rot beneath the surface of a seemingly normal family. This paper examines how the film utilizes realism and character subversion to argue that true intimacy is found not in hiding flaws, but in acknowledging them.