Laapataa Ladies Movie Review — Sucharita Tyagi
The THRILL of watching a BRILLIANT Indian movie at a MONSTROUS film festival, by a female filmmaker, and THEN HAVING THE CHANCE TO DO THIS!
“Women Telling Women’s Stories”
Yayyyyyy, more Kiran Rao any day!
The year is 2001, setting is “Nirmal Pradesh”. A rather gloomy, bewildered young lady named Phool is being sent off from her mayka to sasural. Her equally youthful husband Deepu appears more cheerful, eager to take his new bride home. Off they go on a train, his face beaming, hers concealed beneath a lonnnnnng ghoonghat. Traveling in the general compartment, they sit next to another newlywed couple, and the conversation flows, discussing kis ko dahej mein kitna mila, while the two fresh brides brace themselves for a terrifying plunge into a future ruled by advanced laws and new bosses.
Except, for destinations hoti hain cross, both the men reach their homes, the women, not so much. Kho, gayi, bhaag gayi, agwaa ho gayi? No one knows.
Adapted from a story by Biplab Goswami, with a screenplay and dialogue by Sneha Desai and directed by Kiran Rao, the film crafts the North Indian village that serves as its backdrop, with love and a gentle touch. Every room in every house, every saree worn beneath hand-knitted or locally bought cardigans, from the mix-and-match tea cups to the sleeping cots — the scenery designed by production designer Vikram Singh comes alive with acute attention to detail, open verandahs of the village houses standing sunlit in stark contrast to the windowless rooms within.
Not stopping merely at the cosmetic, Laapata Ladies dips its fingers into this jar of homemade desi ghee, molding out of its characters so authentic, I felt like I was watching my own aunt in actor Geeta Agrawal Sharma. And every slimy, unreliable, corrupt police officer in Ravi Kishan.
Seasoned actors aside, Laapata Ladies’ strength lies in its young cast, absolute finds by casting director Romil Modi.
Like Thank You For Coming, jiska TIFF review you can watch here, Laapata Ladies also casts social media influencers, but Unlike the previous one, Nitanshi Goel has been given enough room to perform, in fact, she carries a lot of weight on her inexperienced shoulders. The actor has over 10 million Instagram followers, I had NOT ONE CLUE, and our digital paths never crossed. Her interpretation of Phool’s journey from innocence, to slightly more aware innocence makes your heart melt. Her simple-minded approach to life makes you want to shield her from harm. Nitanshi is lovely, and very likable, standing out in a crowd despite her character being designed to become lost in it.
A 24-year-old Sparsh Srivastav leads the cast with the emotional maturity of someone way beyond his years. Or maybe I’m just projecting because by god at 24 I was an idiot. You start off by disliking Deepak just as much as the system that has created an atmosphere where such young people are forcefully married to each other, but by the end of it, the actor so very clearly stands heads and shoulders above the rest, a stupendous find. Not because cinematographer Vikash Nowlakha has framed him in any special shots, or flattering lighting, it’s just due to the sheer force with which the actor believes in the film and the apparent hunger to justify his presence in this production. Very, very good.
While I wish Pratibha Ranta’s extra tanned look didn’t seem like “brown face” so much, in her character Jaya lies the true heart of the writing. A woman given an unexpected chance due to a twist of fate, and yet every second of every day she lives under the fear of that being taken away. Jaya is a rare human in this entire landscape, allowing herself the luxury of momentary relaxation as she devises a plan and hunts for an escape route before diving back into the chaos.
When women tell stories of women beating the odds, big or small, we think of those who paved the way. Each step forward is built upon the foundation laid by someone else. As Kiran Rao mentioned in our interview, she introduced a character into this narrative — Manju Maai, played by Chhaya Kadam. Manju ek station par chaai bechti hai and is a benefactor to many who live on the station. Just by the simple act of allowing Phool to sit on the bench by her tea shop, Manju saves that little lost girl from the worst fate imaginable. But Manju is harsh, she has had to clear paths for herself and like any Krantikari, knows the way to bring about change is not easy. Usko kisi ne feminism nahi sikhaya, lekin itna pata hai aage kisi ki life bachaani hai toh is “fraud scheme” ke baare mein awareness laani hogi where women’s worth is pegged to their utility around the household. It’s a wonderful ode to mothers and grandmothers who stood in the way and took the blows. A kind of hardwork that doesn’t pay dividends during most of their lifetimes. Through Manju, Laapataa Ladies takes one hard look from a distance at the institution of patriarchy, and then slowly but steadily moves closer to pull the curtains back and show you the frailty of its outdated traditions. Why do they want to keep women hidden away and what happens when we find each other, our collective willpower threatening the very tenets of this “fraud scheme”.
It’s a simple enough truth, addressed by the film rather simply as well, with ample of humor and sweet moments to make the medicine go down. Does it occasionally lean towards simplistic? Sure. But does that detract from the overall experience of the film? Not really.
