Laapata Ladies is a triumphant concoction of humor, social satire and inherent sincerity that is packaged to fill your heart with warmth and leave a big smile on your face.
It also marks Kiran Rao’s entry into mainstream cinema after her indie debut Dhobi Ghat. Her complete submission to the light-hearted yet consistently engaging script by Sneha Desai took me by surprise. It’s hard to tell to what extent Aamir Khan (Producer) contributed to the filmmaking process, but given his impeccable track record as Producer of successful comedies like Peepli Live and Delhi Belly to name a few, it goes to show that his creative sensibilities continue to remain solid.
Barring a few familiar faces like Ravi Kishan, a majority of the cast is populated with newcomers who display a supreme level of screen command which many seasoned actors still try to find.
The story charts relatively tested territory in terms of misplaced identities and regressive marital traditions in rural India, yet Kiran Rao consciously abstains from going into preachy mode and instead lets the inherent farcical nature of the premise deliver the message.
I’m going with 4/5 for Laapata Ladies. The film serves as a reminder that what’s actually Laapata is such innocence associated with Hindi films nowadays.
