MUMBAI: We've seen a slew of female-centric films in Hindi cinema since the turn of 2010, with the advent of innovative ideas and an influx of wave of new filmmakers. That being said, they've been but a handful of these, which have tackled the fundamental core of female issues deeply embedded within the heartlands of Indian society – grave issues that urban centres (without downplaying their own problems) can't even imagine dealing with day in and day out.
Even fewer of these films have presented feminism or stood against patriarchy sans being preachy or dreary or have barely scratched the surface of vivacity and jauntiness. Laapataa Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao, and produced by Aamir Khan, scores on all these fronts with aplomb, and then some.
It's a very simple plot, accentuated by a screenplay (Sneha Desai) so watertight, so layered, and so conscientiously aware of explaining a pertinent point rather than driving it home that you get completely caught up in one scene after next till you feel like you're a part the characters' lives, completely invested in their journeys and outcomes.
As the title suggests, the narrative revolves around Jaya (Pratibha Ranta) and Phool Kumari (Nitanshi Goel) – the two eponymous women fall prey to mistaken identity, landing at the wrong place and with the wrong husband after having to travel to different villages post their respective betrothals. This leads to cascading events, some ribtickling, some moving, some heartwarming, and all together telling. Watch out in particular for when the senior cop (Ravi Kishan) of one of the villages decided to keep a tab on and then the climax and how said cop deals with her real husband who arrived to take her back.
Kiran Rao no doubt does a swell job directing Laapataa Ladies with all the subtlety, simplicity, and heart it demands, but the script is so well written, and its character arcs so well defined that all she needs to do is execute it efficiently rather than needing to rise above its pages.
Add to that an all-round wonderful display by every actor, nailing their parts to perfection (Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel, and above all, veteran Ravi Kishan being the standouts), coupled with Vikash Nowlakha's spot-on rustic cinematography and editor Jabeen Merchant's perfectly trimmed cuts, and you get a film that's nigh impeccable in every aspect. Honestly, there's very little to complain over about this, if anything at all. Just go and watch it with your loved ones and walk away with a smile plastered across your visage and being touched in your heart.
4.5/5 stars
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