Seema Sinha (BOMBAY TIMES; April 14, 2014)

Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, co-stars in the upcoming film 2 States, learnt a lot from their on-screen mothers, Amrita Singh and Revathi. While Amrita plays Arjun’s Punjabi mother, Revathi plays mother to Alia, a Tamil Brahmin girl.

 Says Alia, “They would switch from humorous scenes to emotional ones with ease and we would suddenly see tears trickling down their faces.” The youngster adds, “I have become very close to Revathi ma’am. The way she would hold my face in her hands, show me how to drape my sari, teach me Tamil… When my dad (Mahesh Bhatt) learnt that she would be playing my mom, he said, ‘You will learn a lot from her’. She is so inspiring; she is definitely my favourite screen mom so far.”

 Arjun has similar sentiments about Amrita. He says, “She still has that nervous energy of a child, and when the camera starts rolling, she becomes a livewire. She is naturally gifted and follows no method in acting,” and adds, “Amritaji is fun to be with; she can be a great friend. She is outspoken and passionate about life. She gets excited talking about her children, especially her daughter Sara, who’s studying abroad.” This is Arjun’s second film with Amrita.

 The actor also recalls how Amrita would feel bad whenever she had to be rude to Alia on screen. “She would say, ‘Oh ho! Mera character kaise behave kar raha hai Alia ke saath. How can I say such rude things to her?’” he recalls.

 Adds Alia, “I have known Amrita ma’am since I was a kid. Sara and I would hang out together, so it was very strange and special for me to share screen space with her.”

 2 States, produced by Dharma Productions and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment Pvt Ltd, releases April 18.