The Hindi cinema industry which has been suffering from content paralysis for the past few years is slowly turning towards the rural Bharat to churn out quality content that has better connect with the masses. This has also worked well in recent times where movies like ‘12th Fail’, which shows the life story of the protagonist from the charming rural Bharat, connected with everyone. One recent wonderful addition to the list that has an almost perfect amalgamation of the charm of rural Bharat mixed with great storyline, character building and humour is ‘Laapataa Ladies’. Though it has shades of ideological narrative that it wants to push through, but all in all, the film is light-hearted and leaves the audience with a lot to ponder upon with its subtlety.
Let’s understand the different aspects of the film to appreciate its nuances a little more.
‘Laapataa Ladies’ is an adaptation of Biplab Goswami’s story ‘Two Brides’ and is set in the era of pre-technology hit Bharat when basic technology was missing. The story is about three people – two brides and a groom – and how their life gets affected when the groom mistakenly brings home the wrong bride. The film hilariously captures a sequence of events involving confusion, stigmas and societal reflections. It traverses through the lives of two different brides and how they face the situation they land up in. There is honesty in character building which stays with the audience even after the film ends.
The film stands out in the screenplay, which never allows for a dull moment and keeps the audience gripped. The humour clubbed with a strong social message alleviates a simple plot. The work of Neha Desai as a screenplay and dialogue writer will be etched in the audience’s memory for a very long time. Also, the director Kiran Rao has done an exemplary job in creating such a powerful film. She never digresses from the plot and keeps things simple. No unnecessary moments or over-boarding of messaging takes away the core of the film.
The cinematography is also one to savour. The moments of rural Bharat along with the station and railway scene capture in itself the rustic charm of the Bharatiya landscape. The scenes are beautifully shot. The locations are real and add to the overall tonality of the film. The songs are soulful and bring a fragrance of love and care. They are uplifting and set the audience in the right mood. The background score never feels out of place and blends nicely with the scenes. Last but not least, the performance of the three lead actors is just wonderful.
The performance of Sparsh Shrivastava (Deepak Kumar) as the helpless groom is beyond par excellence. He melts in the right emotions of irritation, helplessness, societal overtones and assertiveness. He carries the film effortlessly with his performance. The two brides played by Pratibha Ranta (Jaya) and Nitanshi Goel (Phool Kumari) are exceptional. They portray the struggle of women in a complex society like ours very nicely. They also portray the characters with a lot of honesty which makes the audience relate to their psychology. Also, the side characters played by Chhaya Kadam and Durgesh Kumar leave the audience spellbound. Their dialogues are powerful and humorous at the same time. Their performance alleviates the film. Ravi Kishan is a real stand-out in ‘Laapataa Ladies’. His performance as a ‘Daroga’ wins all hearts. He has multiple shades of greed, cunningness, warm-heartedness and righteousness. All shades are peeled out over the course of the film. His dialogue delivery and character portrayal is one for the ages.
The film thus ticks all the right boxes and provides for a fulfilling experience. The audience takes home with them a strong message and moments in which they laugh their hearts out.
The beauty of ‘Laapataa Ladies’ lies in its beautifully captured moments. The hilarious moments of the film leave the audience in splits. The duel between Ravi Kishan and the protagonist Deepak is exceptionally hilarious. One such moment where the friend of the groom (Deepak) tells Ravi Kishan that while returning post marriage Deepak lost his wife, Ravi Kishan replies, “Kaise bey? Hum itne saal se koshish kar rahe hain sasuri khoye hi nahi rahi hai” left everyone in splits. Also, when asked for his wife’s photo, Dipak provides a photograph of his wife in a ‘ghunghat’, with her face not visible. To which Ravi Kishan replies, “Bahut sundar hai”. Another such humorous moment was towards the end of the film when Ravi Kishan looking at Jaya’s ambition mentions “Ye ladki bahut dur jaegi”, to which the constable replies “Dehradun dur hi toh hai”.
Moreover, the scene where Phool’s name is registered in lost and found by the station master is both hilarious and ironic at the same time. The film shows the phases of growth of the women characters. The journey of Phool from the scene where she refuses to tell the name of her husband to the station master to the ending scene where she assertively calls out her husband’s name is a full journey. Manju Mai tells Phool that her name is part of her identity and that she should take the name of her husband. The ending scene where Deepak eventually finds his bride when she calls out his name beautifully captures the importance of names, identity and the happiness of finding love. The duel between Manju Mai (Chhaya Kadam) and Phool (Nitanshi Goel) on marriage and life is intriguing. The scene where Manju Mai motivates Phool to keep working post meeting her husband encapsulates in itself the overall tonality of the film. The scene where Phool starts making tea and then Kalakand is a further reflection of how the director wanted to promote the theme of being self-reliant. The subtle nuances of rural life are also captured wonderfully in the film. The scene where Deepak’s (groom) father tells him “Police station samasya lekar jaate hai haisiyat nahi’ and the subsequent scene where Daroga (Ravi Kisan) works for a lesser bribe stating “Kapde fate hue the” shows the practical wisdom of the elderly in rural Bharat. Moreover, important lessons about organic farming are also covered wonderfully well in the film.
These instants provide multiple light-hearted and thought-provoking moments in the film and entail for a gripping viewing. Every scene is a lesson of life in the most entertaining manner.
The real ethos of ‘Laapataa Ladies’ lies in its message around women empowerment and societal taboos. The two contrasting characters of brides capture in itself the care, wisdom, honesty, progressiveness, equality, sacrifice and strength of women in the Bharatiya society. The honesty and innocence of Phool Kumari is complemented by the wisdom and progressiveness of Jaya. The portrayal of the household skills of Phool is complemented by the thirst for knowledge and science of Jaya. The two stark contrasts in the characters of Jaya and Phool had a common point of honesty and innocence. One relates to that innocence and honesty throughout the film.
Phool signifies Bharatiya womanhood in all its glory. When everyone has lost faith, she still has the conviction that her husband will find her against all odds. She is resolute in her goals and pursues her love with dedication. Phool symbolises innocence, traditional rootedness, confidence, perseverance and hopefulness. On the other hand, Jaya, though being ambitious, has a purity of thought and positively impacts whoever she meets. Her true character is reflected when she is about to run away from the house but stays back seeing Deepak in an intoxicated state craving for Phool. Also, Jaya helps all the family members. She helps them in farming, also motivates her sister-in-law to pursue art and eventually asks her to make the necessary sketch of Phool leading to her being found.
Societal taboos are also tapped in the film. The dialogue around “ghar ki mahilaaon ke mann ka khana banega kya” hits the right tone about the majority of households where concerns about the likes and dislikes of women in the household require greater care. Moreover, a serious question about the saas-bahu relationship is covered when Deepak’s mother asks his mother-in-law – can’t we be friends? This question resonates with all households and puts forward a message of camaraderie between generally difficult relationships. The care which Phool gets from random strangers in the station shows the real Bharat where people are ready to help each other in distress without any favour or want. The character of Chhotu who helps Phool in all her struggles at the police station is the one to savour. He is selfless and goes out of his way to help her.
Similarly, the respect, care and homely environment which Jaya gets from the family of the groom (Deepak)) is a clear display of the family oneness of rural Bharat. Moreover, the love story of the separated bride (Phool) and groom (Deepak) is pure joy. The ending where the two characters meet shows the true emotions which they have for each other. The film also shows the police in a very good light. The ending scene where Ravi Kishan doesn’t allow Jaya’s husband to take her away forcefully is one of the most powerful scenes in the film. It shows how police use their power for the right things.
‘Laapataa Ladies’ tells the tale of charming rural Bharat and women empowerment. This film is beyond good & bad cinema, but necessary to showcase the beauty of Bharatiya Naari Shakti. The most important credit should go to Aamir Khan for producing such a film which has the power to shake the society for all the right reasons. It highlights that empowerment is not just about being financially independent but being with family, standing for the family and being the backbone of the family.
The film blends in itself all the right emotions and ends on a very happy note. It has the right balance of humour and messaging and makes the audience ponder on very small things which have large implications. ‘Laapataa Ladies’ is a must-watch with a family audience as there is a takeaway for everyone in society. It’s a masterpiece. A big kudos to everyone involved in the making of this magnum opus.
The author is an Advisor, Khajurao Lit Fest, Surat Lit Fest, VESIM Literati Festival, Mumbai. He tweets @MODIfied_SKP. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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