- Release Date: 1 March 2024
- Language: Hindi
- Duration: 2 hrs 02 mins
- Category: Comedy, Drama
- Starring: Nitanshi Goel, Sparsh Shrivastava, Savita Malviya
- Rating:4/5
- Director: Kiran Rao
Heartland-set films are appealing in their own right, especially when they use quiet, organic comedy to deliver a strong social message without getting preached-to. This is the idea of Kiran Rao’s most recent film, Laapataa Ladies, a charming comedy filled with tons of humor and frank dialogue.
Not everything that is lost is gone forever. The women in Kiran Rao’s play about rural disliking society gradually come to terms with who they are, despite their masks. The term “laapataa,” which means “missing,” nearly serves as a symbol for how these women appear to be lacking something in their lives.
We learn that Jaya (Pratibha Ranta) and Phool (Nitanshi Goel), the newlywed wives, are somewhat shocked by everything around them when we see them hidden beneath the veils of their sarees. You know you’re going on an adventure when a strange accident forces them to switch not just locations but also their chance.
Kiran Rao gently shows how patriarchy can crush young girls’ hopes through humour, sarcasm, and a hint of suspense. Although Jaya and Phool share the same aspirations for their lives, they approach happiness in rather different ways. Everything, including the background music, camera work, and set design, supports the message that Kiran is attempting to convey.
Additionally, it’s refreshing because it doesn’t sound forced or preachy in a world where movies tend to get monotonous and overly repetitious in their messages.
The movie’s Laapataa Ladies excellent actors are its main attraction. Every character in the movie is excellent, including the two ladies (Phool and Jaya) who have unintentionally switched lives and Ravi Kishan’s crooked yet kind-hearted police officer. In the movie, Chhaya Kadam plays an intriguing character as a food vendor on a train platform, whose motto in life is to keep her mouth shut and be cautious of people who attempt to be excessively kind.
The fact that “Laapataa Ladies” is so expertly put together makes it an excellent viewing. You will be in for a treat if you put your heart into this story of two ladies who vanished, despite the length being a minor problem. More films by Kiran Rao for the general public are long overdue.
Every gender should enjoy the movie Laapataa Ladies. Rao’s picture is a definite winner and comes across as refreshing in an era when big-screen entertainers with extravagant lives are taking the stage.
