Alia dressed as a bride looks like a doll. In a way the honesty that her face never ceases to express symbolizes what this film strives to do. 2 States creates a world where characters don’t shout to be heard. They just belong to a world where being proper, politically or otherwise, is not always a pre-condition.
Apparently the role of the young Tamilian wife is based on writer Chetan Bhagat’s own wife. Alia was asked to play her part as normally as the real-life Mrs Bhagat. Alia played the first non-caricatural South Indian character in our films. Normally when we show South Indians in our films they have think accents, and if it’s a women from the South she will have gajra in her hair and will go ‘Aiyo yo’ every five minutes. Alia did none of that.
The two-film old actress was told to play the character without the props of broad character traits. Apparently Alia was asked to strictly not do a Deepika Padukone kind of accent from Chennai Express.
Alia had admitted in an old interview that it was difficult to not lapse into caricature while doing a South Indian character. “I was not allowed to be culture-specific in 2 States in my body-language or my accent. Yes, I am a Tamilian in 2 States. But I don’t make a show of my regional roots. It is tough because when you are not resorting to speech and behavioral props you have no handy tools to give personality to your character.”
In a 2014 interview Chetan Bhagat expressed his pleasure at the movie version of his novel. “2 States is quite close to me because the inspiration came from my own life. The key plot points are from my life but there is fictionalization and drama added as well. Hence, technically it is Krish and Ananya’s story in the book and I think the film has captured that quite well. I was only involved in the initial stages, in terms of placing the key members of the team in place, producers, director and the main cast. I was consulted on all of these and we came to a consensus on what works best. After that, it was completely director Abhishek Verman’s show. He has made a wonderful film and credit goes to him and his team. I came on board for the final promotions as the book is popular and it helps the book readers becoming aware of the film.”
Chetan was all praise for Alia Bhatt. “She is to put it in one word, extraordinary. In every frame of 2 States she captivates you in her role as Ananya. It is a tough part, with the girl she is playing being an intelligent MBA student and a corporate type later. It limits the jumping around one can do as typical of Bollywood films. Yet, Alia captivates. That is her achievement.”
2 States helped Chetan to forgive his father. “I have had a difficult relationship with my father. In 2 States however the father gets a chance to redeem himself. The fact I could do that means I have, at a certain level, forgiven him.”
