True-life tale holds a mirror up to challenges

Chetan Bhagat is one of the most acclaimed and admired novelists in India.

2 States: (9/10)

Once regarded as among the top 100 most influential people in the world, Bhagat quit investment banking to concentrate on his career as a writer.

His works include The Five Point Someone . It inspired the movie 3 Idiots , which once held the record for being Bollywood's biggest blockbuster.

Last year's critically acclaimed Kai Po Che was based on his novel The Three Mistakes of My Life.

His latest movie adaptation is a collaboration between heavyweight producers Sajid Nadiawala and Karan Johar, who have remade 2 States - The Story of My Marriage.

Bhagat says the book was inspired by his real-life romance. It is dedicated to his in-laws.

The handsome, cool Punjabi dude in the movie is Krish (Arjun Kapoor), who falls in love with Tamil-speaking Ananya (Alia Bhatt).

Their love is almost perfect, but their dedication and faith in each other is tested when their families meet and chaos erupts.

Inevitably, Krish and Ananya are caught in a clash of cultures and backgrounds, coupled with volatile family relationships.

Directed by Abhishek Verman, this is an incredibly delicious bit of cinema that unfolds beautifully with complex characters and lovely settings in a simple world.

The story is perfectly depicted and the movie is embellished with strong performances.

Kapoor rises above his serious image and delivers a meticulous and restrained performance while carefully understanding his character.

Bhatt is fast becoming the biggest sensation in Bollywood.

Yet again she displays her outstanding talent with a role that will fast-track her into the big league.

Plus, she looks stunning in every frame.

However, even with such accomplished lead stars, the movie would have been incomplete without the magnificent support structure of Amrita Singh, Revathy, Ronit Roy and Shivkumar Subramaniam.

The seasoned actresses, however, dominate and are a treat when they become melodramatic.

Overall, this is one of the finest movies of cinema so far this year.

2 States is a movie that, despite providing entertainment, is a reflection of some of the challenges faced by typical Indian families.