'Kapoor & Sons' review round up: What do critics think of this film about a 'dysfunctional' family?

Karan Johar's latest film 'Kapoor & Sons' hit the screens yesterday. The film has been receiving rave reviews from the audience. The film stars Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan and Alia Bhatt with Rishi Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor and Ratna Pathak Shah. Directed by Shakun Batra, the film revolves around a 'dysfunctional' family.

DNA review; Rating: ****
It's good to see that Karan Johar's brand of cinema has moved away from loving your 'perfect' family to loving your dysfunctional family...Writers Shakun Batra and Ayesha Devitre Dhillon come up with characters that are refreshingly flawed.

Rajat Kapoor and Ratna Patak Shah give flawless performances. From taking potshots at each other at the dining table to making efforts to keep the family together, these two actors make it seem absolutely natural. Read the full review here.

What do critics have to say about this family drama? 

1) Hindustan Times Review; Rating: ****
The writers of the film, Shakun Batra and Ayesha Devitre Dhillon, have done a fabulous job in providing every major character a chance to flourish...For the want of a better term, Kapoor & Sons is an emotional roller coaster. It’s a tear jerker for sure, but also features the intricacies of a middle class life. No dark secrets here, but the shock value is definitely there. You’ll love it for being spontaneous, precise, fast paced and well...lovable. A fantastic family drama after a long time. Read the review here.

2) NDTV Review; Rating: ***1/2
Director Shakun Batra keeps it all on a tight leash and skillfully mines the multiple conflict points as much for the humour inherent in them as for the dramatic frission that they generate. Kapoor And Sons is intense and incisive in its observation of human inadequacies but is always entertaining....It proffers more than just skin-deep enticements in telling a relatable story about individuals running away from themselves and from each other. 

The three lead actors are natural charmers and Batra loses no opportunity to make capital out of their looks. Read the full review here. 

3) Indian Express Review; Rating: **1/2

This turns the characters into stock, and the film into a constructed thing, and you know what’s coming much before it actually does. Which is a pity because a film like this one, with a nice sense of place (the house has a lived-in feel ; the hill town used as home, not a series of picturesque spots) and more-than-competent performers, could have been that rare Bollywood thing : a grown-up drama featuring grown-ups. Read the full review here. 

4) Firstpost Review

The writing and direction of this film are so seamless – aided in no small part by Shivkumar V. Panicker’s editing – that it feels like an unscripted reality TV show set in the Kapoor home. Sure, if you count all the twists and turns, it might seem melodramatic, but the truth is that it is no more dramatic than your life or mine would be if it were to be compressed into a film of 2 hours and 20 minutes. Read the full review here. 

5) IBNLive Review; Rating: ***
Apart from the stellar starcast, one who truly deserves the applause is the film's director Shakun Batra. His fresh take on the familial relation in today's time is relatable. You know a director has done his job well when the plot never misses the line it has been build upon. Neither is it ever overshadowed by the presence of so many stars. Read the full review here.