AK vs AK Review: A Surprising Leap of Faith!

Vikramaditya Motwane’s Netflix Original, AK vs AK, starring Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap in the lead roles, opens a new dimension to Indian Cinema. It brings to the table an unseen form of filmmaking in mainstream cinema. AK vs AK begins with the actor-director duo rehashing their past and the opportunities of working together lost between them. Then we move to a conversation on a public platform that slowly escalates to a major scuffle and an entire media storm about the celebrities. A sinister plot is hatched to achieve redemption after the public humiliation. AK vs AK Review

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AK vs AK is shot candidly, with a camerawoman capturing every bit of the action. “The camera doesn’t stop rolling” is taken quite literally, as the lines between reality and reel start to blur. Yogita Bihani is the said camerawoman and does a stellar job in playing her part. However, there is a certain downside of this way of filmmaking where the editing suffers. AK vs AK Review

AK vs AK shoots right to the point, with the story developing from the get-go. However, the pace of the movie seems inconsistent and drops considerably after the 45-minute mark, redeeming itself only near the climax. According to us, the film could have been more precise by 15-20 minutes, making it more crisp and enjoyable. Many scenarios in the movie were outrageous and outright weird, making this movie a big gamble. AK vs AK Review

Sonam Kapoor has a cameo and is pretty decent in playing her part. Harshvardhan Kapoor, as the enthusiastic artsy kid, also does the job but can get overbearing. Boney Kapoor’s cameo though seems the most natural and authentic. We also catch a phone conversation between Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Anurag Kashyap that adds to the humor of the script.

Having said that, this is a total Anil Kapoor film. One never expects a big Bollywood actor with his gravitas, to take such a bold career move, as shown by Kapoor in this project. AK vs AK brings out a raw and grey version of Anil Kapoor that we have hardly ever seen on screen. His vulnerability and helplessness whilst completing his quest and consequently maintaining the iconic “Jhakaas“ attitude is a treat to watch. There is a scene in the police station during the initial minutes of the film where he totally draws the audience in when the pace is dropping.

Anurag Kashyap is more of a spectator than a participant in the movie. Initially, his acting seems forced and unnatural. The entire blackmail ploy and cavalier characteristic does not suit his acting style. If his graph was rawer it might have been more interesting to watch him in his element. However, it is the second half of the film where he dishes out his acting chops. The story stuns his villainous self into submission, and that draws out his talent to the fore on the auto mode, it seems.

The story written by Avinash Sampath is a great base for the movie to stand upon. It provides for a lot of scopes to explore for a director and his actors. But unfortunately, it is the screenplay that is dragging the scope of this story down.

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A Superstar, a diabolical director, and a kidnapped daughter are what made the crux for AK vs AK. We wish it would have been more gripping right from the get-go to sustain interest and attention, but we did reach out for our phones multiple times during the film. All in all, the film would have been a masterstroke if it wasn’t for the patchy screenplay. AK vs AK is a big step in the right direction. Watch ‘AK vs AK’ on Netflix here.

Rating – 3/5 | Grade – B

Images via Netflix India