Laapata Ladies - Hindi - Drama/Comedy / 122 mins / Netflix
Set in 2001, married on an auspicious "Tritiya" - Two young brides are heading to their Sasurals on a train - One of them ends up getting separated from her husband, when the husband unknowingly ends up taking the other bride home!
Weaving a wonderful tale of feminism, conveyed succinctly without any "in your face" sermonising or brow beating - "Laapataa Ladies" is an absolute gem! Kudo's to Kiran Rao for directing this story written by some very unknown writers.
The loony premise throws up a lovely blend of funny and touching scenes, eventually becoming a story of realising dreams ( with organic farming throw in!)
The young and relatively unknown cast play their parts beautifully. Deepak (who brings the wrong bride home!) is played by an Sparsh Srivastav ( Sunny from Jamtara ). He conveys love and desperation in equal measure. The ladies playing the brides Phool (absolutely innocence and heart tugging) and Jaya ( educated and opportunistic!) are wonderful . The casting is a masterstroke, a seasoned cast may not invoke the protectiveness that we feel for the characters.
The lady running the tea shop at the station, who helps Phool bloom, the sister in law who Jaya befriends, Deepak's friend who carries a spark for Jaya , the dependable Geeta Agarwal Sharma (fast becoming the Nirupa Roy of this generation) as Deepak's mother - all supporting characters , who bring plenty of dignity to their parts.
Easily the most recognisable actor in the cast - Ravi Kishan as Inspector Manohar , who eventually untangles this knot, gleefully chews on the part as much as he does all the paan . I recall - this movie opened in March - the same weekend when the lovely mini series "Maamla Legal Hai" premiered on Netflix. Talk about a double whammy!
In times of violent stories and hugely mounted VFX sagas - this simple movie is such a breath of fresh air! Do watch.
Be nice - No spamming in comments