After Kiran Rao’s directorial debut ‘Dhobi Ghat’, she returns to direction after 14 years with ‘Laapataa Ladies’ which strikes the right chord with the viewers. Set in rural India, Laapataa Ladies, is a gentle satire, with a deep social message, poignant dialogues and realistic acting.
Story
The story begins with the marriage of Deepak Kumar (Sparsh Shrivastava) with Phool (Nitanshi Goel). The couple board a crowded train that has many other newlywed couples. All the brides are wearing almost same attires with faces covered with similar red veils. At his destination, Deepak mistakenly gets down with another bride, Pushpa Rani (Pratibha Ranta), and takes her to his home. When Pushpa unveils her face, everyone is shocked. The rest of the film is about how Deepak tries to find his missing wife, taking help from a corrupt cop Shyam Manohar (Ravi Kishan).
Review
Laapataa Ladies is humorous, witty, quirky, entertaining yet empowering. Imbued with delightful moments, the social message against patriarchy isn’t overbearing. It never outshines the entertainment part as Kiran Rao skillfully uses humor and subtle satire to strike down deep-seated patriarchy. This light-hearted movie makes a strong case for women empowerment, education, and equality without disapproving men or being biased.
Biplab Goswami’s story and Sneha Desai’s screenplay and dialogues provide food for thought. The characters are simple and relatable. Every character is imperfect but affable. The lead new faces have done a praiseworthy job. All the actors have delivered heartwarming performances, but Pratibha Ranta, Ravi Kishan and Chhaya Kadam are the show-stealers. The film’s intent is conveyed through Pratibha Ranta’s character of a newly-wed bride who questions patriarchy. The corrupt but conscientious cop played by Ravi Kishan, is remarkable with witty dialogues and superb screen presence. Sparsh Shrivastava effectively depicts the pain Deepak’s character goes through. Nitanshi Goel wins us with her innocent and charming portrayal of Phool. Chhaya Kadam leaves her mark by delivering some wonderful dialogues that sum up the movie’s intent perfectly. Her character is of a middle-aged tea stall owner Manju, who is hardened by life and chooses to live alone instead of tolerating disrespect and domestic violence. The movie crushes some age-old narratives by some of its dialogues like, “a ‘respectable’ girl is the biggest fraud in society as it conditions her to not question the status quo”. The story doesn’t allow women to play the victim card either. It sternly says, “It’s not shameful to be a fool but being proud of one’s ignorance is a shame.”
Just like the film, the music by Ram Sampath is pleasant. The songs fit into the story seamlessly. The cinematography by Vikash Nowlakha is spotless and sets the right mood for this feel-good dramady.
Our Verdict
Through ‘Laapataa Ladies’, Kiran Rao addresses a few social issues in a captivating manner, with pleasant moments sprinkled throughout. The film entertains without being preachy. Performances by Prathibha Ranta, Ravi Kishan, Sparsh Shrivastava, Nitanshi Goel and Chhaya Kadam are highly impressive. The pace of the movie is a bit slow at times. Nonetheless, the film can be watched with the entire family, which makes it special. On the whole Laapataa Ladies is an adorable film with a wonderful blend of heart, mind, and humor, and gets a thumbs up from us.
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