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. **Grade B**.

Full marks for trying something new. AK vs AK is easily a striking example of bringing something fresh to Hindi cinema. There is not a lot of meta movies in Bollywood, so seeing this hopefully breaks the aura surrounding the actors of the film industry.

AK vs AK is a work of fiction. Anurag Kashyap kidnaps Anil Kapoor's daughter Sonam Kapoor and gives him a little over one night to solve where she is held captive. The scenes are filmed in the real-life houses of both the leads with the wall breaking between the reel and real-life. It makes some observations about stardom and its effects on personal lives if you are willing to look at the film at that level.

Conceptually, the film worked for me. I had not seen this blending of real-life and reel life, Even the PR team made the promotion spill into real life with a Twitter war between the two actors. More than the success of the film, or the gimmick, I would admire if these experiments break down the walls between actors and regular humans. Anil Kapoor's acting is enough to convince us that.

While I do not agree with plot points like Anil has to dance for the audience, I get how the fame robs you off of any semblance of private life. It is as if you are selling your personal life and that cost is huge. Even though this film had no agenda of particularly highlighting this, I hope people take the cue and enjoy the stories and characters more than idolising the actors for performing them.

Taking the gimmick aside, this works as a decent thriller too. I remember watching Aamir starring Rajeev Khandelwal. That was a brilliant film. Anil Kapoor could have been a famous industrialist or a cricketer and the film would have worked the same way. A famous guy finds out his daughter is missing is an okay plot for a thriller. To hold up the gimmick of reel vs real-life the last twist was absolutely necessary. There were no rational ways to come out of the convoluted narrative. Having said that, the film could have explored the real vs reel angle in a different genre making it more insightful than a thriller. It feels like a lost opportunity here.

Anil Kapoor is brilliant. The whole film stays to the point just because Anil, at his age, still has the hold on the audience and is fit enough to perform long takes which take him through the bylanes of Mumbai, railways bridges and all sorts of places. He really gets to showcase a range of emotions and he makes the most of it. Anurag Kashyap is gets shadowed by Anil in almost all the scenes. Anurag however, does manage to portray an unhinged side of his personality.

The long takes and shaky cam shots bring out the urgency and tension of a thriller, but I have never been a fan of shaky cams so cinematographically the film while being skilful, was not very enjoyable for me.

Overall, the film is a must-watch. Not because it is a masterpiece, but it deserves your attention and some words of encouragement to motivate the fraternity to experiment. We as an audience need to show that we want something fresh and new. Slow-motion flying cars and bodies are a passé now.