Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Two young brides get lost on the same train due to their similar attire and long-veil, leading to a comedy-of-errors, and lessons in self-worth in Kiran Rao’s 2024 movie “Laapata Ladies”.
Written by Biplab Goswami, Divyanidhi Sharma, and Sneha Desai, the story is set in 2001 in a fictional state called Nirmal Pradesh in India’s Hindi Heartland. It opens with celebratory rituals to send off newlyweds Phool Kumari (Nitanshi Goel) and Deepak (Sparsh Shrivastav). The two first hitch a scooter-ride, then a boat, a bus, before finally boarding a train for Deepak’s village. Pandemonium ensues when Deepak realizes he left the train with the wrong bride, a woman called Pushpa Rani (Pratibha Ranta), while Phool finds herself stranded at the wrong station.
Light-hearted in tone and satirical in nature, “Laapata Ladies” presents a chuckle-worthy narrative led by fresh faces. The film explores the theme of women’s identity, particularly in the agricultural hinterland, where they are often reduced to the roles of wife or mother. Phool, for instance, might be “well-trained” by her mother to manage household chores, but she is a clueless doe-eyed lass who can’t remember the name of her husband’s village. Phool’s personality is brilliantly juxtaposed with that of Pushpa Rani, an evidently clever young woman, who deliberately feigns ignorance over things while she silently schemes for a way out of the soup she is in. Nitanshi Goel’s Phool is endearing in her simplicity and annoying in her ignorance, while Pratibha Ranta’s portrayal of Pushpa Rani is subtly engaging.
Some of the funniest moments in “Laapaata Ladies” revolve around the embarrassment experienced by the naive Deepak due to his goof-up. Ravi Kishan delivers a highly entertaining performance as the local corrupt cop Manohar, who finds endless amusement in Deepak’s misfortunes. When Deepak goes to lodge a missing complaint for Phool, Manohar asks with a straight face, “What’s your secret? I’ve been trying for years, but she never gets lost.” Sparsh Shrivastav on the other hand breathes an air of genuine vulnerability and emotional depth into Deepak’s character, running from pillar to post throughout the film to find his Phool. The track titled “Sajni”, sung in the soulful voice of Arijit Singh, beautifully captures his despair and ache over having lost his beloved bride.
There aren’t any song-and-dance numbers in “Laapaata Ladies”, but the few original tracks featured in the film are catchy and vibrantly complement the scenes they accompany. The energetic number “Doubtwa” sung by Sukhwinder Singh stands out for its playing lyrics and tunes. The lyrics talks about a man doubting a woman due to her shady behavior. This song plays when Ravi Kishan’s cop character spies on Pushpa Rani to uncover her intentions.
For the cynical viewer, Phool’s adventures may seem overly optimistic. Left stranded at an unfamiliar train station, she receives assistance from a lively boy named Chhotu (Satendra Soni), who performs odd jobs. She is subsequently taken in by the no-nonsense Manju Maai (Chhaya Kadam), who operates a tea-snacks stall and broadens Phool’s perspective over a woman’s place in the world. But at the same time, it’s the optimistic tone of the script, which makes “Laapata Ladies” a breezy, joyous watch.
The climax throws in some twists and leaves viewers with a heartening “happy ending”, without any preachy monologues or patronizing speeches. Young brides Phool and Pushpa Rani gently carve their own paths for themselves, along with a whole lot of support with the women and men around them.
Rating: 8 on 10. Watch “Laapaata Ladies” on Netflix.
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