AK vs AK cast: Anil Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap
AK vs AK director: Vikramaditya Motwane
AK vs AK rating: Two and a half stars
A ‘flop’ director. A successful old star. And a story that is both real and not real, drawn from the real-life personas of the two protagonists: Anurag Kashyap and Anil Kapoor, the former brash, outspoken, movie-mad creator of dark matter; the latter, amazingly fit, still works, is still in demand.
An early twist, which includes a kidnapping and a coercion-filmed-on-camera, requires you to suspend disbelief: could the Kashyap we know really be behind the act; can Kapoor, always known for his politeness, really be such a rude? Or are the two playing hyper-hypo real versions of themselves?
Motwane’s movie isn’t just meta. It’s meta-meta, especially when some parts hit too close to the target, and some just temptingly aren’t right. Overnight, no can become a star unless your last name is Kapoor, Anurag grins, making Anil shudder. This rule, about the amazing lifespan of the Kapoors and Khans, is well known. But we also know that Anil has had to work hard for his success. And would AK Jr ever say this to AK Sr on his face?
Another big turn, coming much later in the movie, forces us to look back and question our perceptions. Could Anil, who we have known on screen as a hero (a whole list of his hit roles is being rolled out, including the evergreen Lakhan and Munna), be a true ‘nayak’?
Every detail of this movie-in-a-movie can be a spoiler. So I’ll just say I enjoyed this caper the most, which could just as easily have been called ‘raat ek baat ki’ or ‘Mumbai raat ki baahon mein’ or any other movie where a bunch of people are running the streets of a city that never sleeps, where everything can happen and where everything has a dreamlike quality. Certainly, isn’t it, because that’s where the stars live, and when the stars are on the way, they belong to the public that loves them. Or wait, is it the characters they play that we love?
One sequence that really gave me goosebumps has Anil robed in a crowd and turned into a chameleon: is he real, or is it all reel? He is desperate, looking for someone, almost at the end of his rope. But those who recognize him, holding phones for selfies, are delighted to see their one-two-ka-four Lakhan present. The crowd roars; among them we catch a glimpse of Anurag, who looks on in admiration.
One of the inside jokes of the movie (you’ll have the most fun if you’re an industry insider) is based on a movie Anurag wanted to make with Anil that was never made, and look here, they are in a movie. I’ve always maintained that Anurag should act more: here he does Anurag, dressed in a tracksuit and some Balenciagas (are they real or fake?), With great joy and a momentary manic glow. However, I have one complaint. The film should have been sharper: it slides in parts, and you wish Anurag and / or Motwane had shouted ‘cut’ earlier.
Finally, we are left with the eternal question: do actors ever stop acting, even when the cameras stop rolling? At its core, AK vs AK feels like a secret fanboy fantasy. Anil is held afloat, with another ‘Filmfare’ award (this time for the movie that’s in the movie, so fictional), and strolls through a hallway, slo-mo, dark glasses in place, a star every inch. The conflict is fake, the hero worship is real.