LAAPATAA LADIES works due to the plot, performances, and some scenes.

Laapataa Ladies Review 3.0/5 & Review Rating

Director: Kiran Rao

Synopsis:
LAAPATAA LADIES is the story of a missing bride. On January 29, 2001, Deepak Kumar (Sparsh Shrivastava) marries Phool (Nitanshi Goel). Both board the unreserved compartment in the Belpur Katariya Express. He sits next to two other newly married couples. All the brides have covered their faces with ‘ghoonghat’. When his destination – Murti station – arrives, Deepak grabs the hand of a woman, who he believes is Phool, and gets down. He takes her to his village, Surajmukhi. His family members and neighbours are in a festive mood. But they get the shock of their lives when they open the veil and they realize that Deepak has accidentally brought another woman with him. This second bride turns out to be Pushpa Rani (Pratibha Ranta). She claims that the name of his groom is Pankaj and that she is from a village named Sambela. The next day, Deepak goes to the police station to file a complaint. The cop in charge, Shyam Manohar (Ravi Kishan), is initially amused by the goof-up. But he soon realizes that Pushpa Rani might not be as innocent as she claims. Meanwhile, Phool is stranded at Pateela railway station. Here, she befriends a tough but kind-hearted tea stall owner, Manju Maai (Chhaya Kadam), who teaches her important life lessons. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Laapataa Ladies Movie Story Review:

Biplab Goswami’s story is unconventional and amusing. Sneha Desai’s screenplay adds to the entertainment quotient. At the same time, it also raises some important points. Sneha Desai’s dialogues (additional dialogues by Divyanidhi Sharma) are funny and also quite sharp and hit the right chord.

Kiran Rao’s direction is uncomplicated and captivating. The narrative is easy to understand while the characters are straight out of life. The humour is infused in an organic manner; not a single dialogue or punch seems forced. The story could have seemed unconvincing or flawed but Kiran makes sure that it looks believable why the bride got lost and why she was not able to reunite with her hubby. As the story progresses, Kiran touches upon certain social aspects plaguing society. Yet again, it seamlessly becomes a part of the goings-on. The character of Manju Maai is a masterstroke in this regard. Kiran Rao reserves the best for the finale. It is clapworthy, to say the least.

On the flipside, though the director ties all loose ends, she misses one – Pushpa’s hubby had spotted Phool at the station and ideally, he should have informed the cop about it. It would have made the investigation easier. Secondly, the angle of MLA Mani Singh is hilarious. However, it serves no purpose to the story as the MLA and his speech are forgotten. Lastly, the buzz is very limited and this can impact its box office collections.

Laapataa Ladies | Official Trailer | Aamir Khan Productions Kindling Pictures Jio Studios

Laapataa Ladies Movie Performances:

LAAPATAA LADIES belongs to both the leading ladies. Nitanshi Goel’s innocence is her biggest strength and she enhances it with her supreme performance. Pratibha Ranta is quite confident and plays her part with panache. Sparsh Shrivastava, too, puts his best foot forward and gets into the skin of his character. Chhaya Kadam is terrific and delivers a National Award-worthy performance. Ravi Kishan, too, rocks the show and only, an actor of his calibre would have done justice. Rachna Gupta (Poonam; Bhabhi) and Geeta Agrawal Sharma (Yashoda; Deepak’s mother) leave a mark. Satendra Soni (Chotu) and Abeer Jain (Bablu) are adorable. Bhaskar Jha (Pushpa’s husband Pradeep), Daood Hussain (Gunjan), Durgesh Kumar (Dubey ji; cop) and Kanupriya Rishimum (Bela; cop) are fine.

Laapataa Ladies Movie music and other technical aspects:

Ram Sampath’s music is lovely but won’t have a shelf life. ‘Doubtwa’ and ‘Beda Paar’ are quirky. ‘O Sajni Re’ is soulful while ‘Sajni’ is fair. Ram Sampath’s background score is in sync with the film’s mood.

Vikash Nowlakha’s cinematography gives the film a straight-out-of-life feel. The locales are fresh and never before seen in any film. Vikram Singh’s production design is quite real. Darshan Jalan’s costumes are authentic. Jabeen Merchant’s editing is smooth but could have been slicker.

Laapataa Ladies Movie Conclusion:
On the whole, LAAPATAA LADIES works due to the amusing plot, performances, underlying message and some memorable funny and emotional scenes. At the box office, it has the potential to grow with each passing day.