Directed and screenplay Adapted by Abhishek Varman
Produced by Karan Johatr & Sajid Nadiadwala
Based on novel by Chetan Bhagat
Music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Arjun Kapoor as Krish Malhotra
Alia Bhatt as Ananya Swaminathan
Ronit Roy and Amrita Singh as Krish's Father & Mother
Shiv Kumar and Revathy as Ananya's Father & Mother
At a glance
Mr Sanjay Leela Bhansali...apparently you wanted to capture amazing chemistry in Ram Leela between the leads. Piece of advice....please watch 2 States. This is how chemistry is captured on screen. A complete movie with romance, drama, humor and awesome performances.
At 2 hours 30 minutes, there is some amount of trimming that could have been done post interval, but nevertheless, Arjun and especially Alia, keep you engaged and entertained along with the amazing supporting roles of the parents.
The people on screen
6 superbly cast actors give superb and honest performances.
Shiv Kumar and Revathy play the "Tamilian" parents of Ananya Swaminathan. They depict the stereotypical south indian attitude along with the typical concerned parents behavior with perfection. Shiv Kumar especially plays a cute and stern role simultaneously. Revathy too does a great job, and when she sings "Saathiya Tune Kya Kiya", its only then when you realize how long her journey has been as an actress!
Ronit Roy & Amrita Singh play the "Punjabi" parents of Krish Malhotra. Once again, the typical punjabi family, where the father is a retired military officer and the mother is materialistic, yet loving mom. Now....I have to say...that Ronit and Amrita give a performance beyond awesome! Ronit Roy with zero smile and zero laughter seems like the father straight out of the movie Udaan, yet his expressions and screen presence is phenomenal. Amrita is brilliant....you admire the loving mother in her and you hate the materialistic punjaban! She is plain brilliant!
Arjun Kapoor as Krish. One of his best performances so far. Although I must add that his character and his acting both seem to be inspired completely by Sushant Singh from Shudd Desi. Watch out for his superb scene when he confronts his dad the first time....the fear, anger and uncertainty he faces in that situation...and the way he conveys it...Kudos!
Lastly, Alia Bhatt as Ananya. What can I say....I have become her fan! With Highway it was her acting that bowled me over...and with 2 States its her acting and her cuteness! She has definitely established herself above all the other actresses currently in bollywood with just two movies this year!! She is pure talent...and I bet she has as bright a future ahead of her as her bright and colourful sarees and kurtis in the movie! She steals the show despite all the amazing performances that I mentioned above!
The tunes
Shankar Ehsaan Loy...compose a melodious and peppy soundtrack for the movie. Mast Magan needs a special mention for its sweet romantic feel and magic! Despite their commendable efforts, I for one, for some reason felt that this was a movie that shouldve belonged to Amit Trivedi. The soundtrack is definitely good...but not as satisfying as I would have liked it to be. The background music however is perfect! I think right from the Dil Chaahta Hai days, the trio have proved that they sure as hell know how to compose great background music!
Been-O-pinion
I rate the movie 4 out of 5.
Feb gave us Highway, March gave us Queen and April has gifted us audience with 2 States! Chetan Bhagat's interesting life story combined with Abhishek Verman's superb screenplay and direction combined further with the great performances make this movie a wonderful and engaging watch. A slight trimming in the second half and a bit more innovative writing is some parts would have made this movie the best...nevertheless...get your tickets and get going... you shouldnt miss this movie...cause this is one more step from bollywood in the right direction...towards making great cinema! 
