Film

Kapoor & Sons

Name: Kapoor & Sons
Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy, Family
Released: 2016
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan, Alia Bhatt, Ratna Pathak Shah, Rishi Kapoor

Family drama

A warm, smartly written family drama about two brothers returning home for their grandfather's illness, where buried resentments surface and everyone's life unravels a little. It's funny and tender without being saccharine, anchored by strong performances and a script that trusts you to understand people are complicated. Made for anyone who's ever felt the weight of family expectation.

TMDb rating

3.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like stories where affection and irritation share a kitchen table, and where the comedy comes from people who know exactly which buttons to press.

Skip it if the quarrels circle the same ground for a long stretch, and at 137 minutes it leans on talk and sulking more than incident, so restless viewers may tire.

What it asks of you: It moves at an unhurried pace through long domestic scenes and loose, rambling conversations, with its emotional weight arriving slowly, and it rewards patience over momentum.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Dil Dhadakne Do2015

Another Zoya Akhtar film about a family in crisis, equally invested in messy relationships and what people don't say to each other. The cruise-ship setting is different, but the emotional architecture—parents struggling, siblings at odds—is remarkably similar.

But It's long and can feel slow if you're not engaged with the interpersonal drama. The resolution is gentler than you might want.

Tamasha2015

A meditation on identity and performance within relationships, with real emotional stakes beneath the romantic surface. Deepika and Ranbir bring vulnerability to characters who are fundamentally misaligned, and it matters.

But The non-linear structure can feel wilfully obscure. Some find it pretentious; others find it pretentiously sad.

Badhaai Ho2018

A comedy that builds from a genuinely awkward premise—parents' unexpected pregnancy—into something generous about shame, judgment, and how little we know our parents. Warm without being mawkish.

But The comedy relies partly on body-shaming humor that hasn't aged perfectly. Some plotting feels convenient.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Kapoor & Sons

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Godfather Part II1974

Both are fundamentally about masculine inheritance and failure—the difference between what a father builds and what sons are left with. Both ask whether family survives betrayal.

Parallel narratives of family rupture and legacy—Vito building empire, Michael inheriting and corrupting it. The emotional core is identical to Kapoor & Sons: what do we inherit, what do we owe, can you ever go home?

But Crime saga, not family drama. It's long, violent, and doesn't offer the warmth or comedy you'd expect from Kapoor & Sons.

Bareilly Ki Barfi2017

Witty, energetic, and genuinely funny about misfits and self-invention. It has Kapoor & Sons's gift for making characters feel real while never losing sight of entertainment.

But It's lighter than Kapoor & Sons—if you're after emotional depth, this skims the surface.

Chopsticks2019

A small, tender film about two sisters navigating adolescence and each other. It has the same observational quality about family friction and unspoken understanding.

But Very small and slow. There's minimal plot; if you need drive, you'll be frustrated.

Khosla Ka Ghosla!2006

An earlier, sharper family drama where property dispute becomes the frame for examining relationships, class anxiety, and what we owe each other. Bittersweet and clever.

But Older filmmaking style; the pacing is deliberate rather than propulsive.

Happy Bhag Jayegi2016

A female-led comedy-drama that's unafraid of mess and contradiction. Characters want things that clash; nobody is entirely right. It's fresh air.

But Tone can be uneven. The romance subplot doesn't always land as convincingly as the family dynamics.

Parched2015

A deeper dive into constraint and secrecy within families, with real stakes. Four women, four perspectives, one village—and the way they navigate desire and duty.

But Serious and sometimes bleak. Not a comfort watch. Some scenes of sexual violence.

English Vinglish2012

A film about self-assertion within marriage and family, with Sridevi at its heart. It's lighter than Kapoor & Sons but touches similar nerves about belonging and being seen.

But Unabashedly sentimental. The feminism can feel dated; the marriage resolution is more traditional than modern viewers might hope for.

Moonlight2016

Both use homecoming as a device to excavate identity and belonging. Both argue that family is where we become ourselves—and also where we hide ourselves.

Three chapters in a queer Black man's life, returning to the people who shaped him. Like Kapoor & Sons, it's about identity built in secrecy, the weight of family expectation, and whether you can reconcile who you were with who you've become.

But Structurally experimental and very quiet. It doesn't explain itself. If you need dialogue to understand emotion, this will exhaust you.