AK vs AK is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language black comedy thriller film directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and is the first release under his banner Andolan Films. Anurag Kashyap, the executive producer and dialogue writer, also stars alongside Anil Kapoor as the title characters, with Yogita Bihani, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, and Harshvardhan Kapoor in supporting roles. The story, written by Avinash Sampath, utilises a film-within-a-film narrative where the main actors play fictionalised versions of themselves. After a public feud between Kashyap, an eccentric film director, and Anil Kapoor, an ageing film star, the former kidnaps the latter’s daughter (Ahuja) and forces Kapoor to search for her while his assistant (Bihani) films them as part of his next project, with most of the film shown from the perspective of her camera.

After a public spat with a movie star, a disgraced director retaliates by kidnapping the actor’s daughter, filming the search for her in real-time.

Mindblowing antics by the leading men and a heavy satire on Bollywood and the film industry in general are what push this almost predictable thriller drama that has a tinge of dark humour into an enjoyable feast. More than the story, I loved the potshots that the film and its ‘real’ characters take on each other (mostly on Anurag Kashyap, who also sports a deprecating air here) and the hypocritic film industry; it’s charmingly amusing and you are bound to sit up in your chair at least once through the film. The meta element is fun to watch as it unfolds and grabs you by the throat. AK vs AK is no masterpiece, and with those unneeded cussy dialogues, it’s not lightweight either. But it packs a punch and both Anil Kapoor and Kashyap need to be lauded for the audacity to do something like this. Give it a watch for sure.

Genre:  Comedy, Drama, Crime

Actors:  Anil Kapoor , Anurag Kashyap , Sonam Kapoor, Harshvardhan Kapoor ,

Director: Vikramaditya Motwane

Country: India

Release: 12/24/2020 (IN)