Film Review: Laapataa Ladies [Missing Ladies]

Starring: Nitanshi Goel, Sparsh Srivastav, Pratibha Ranta, Ravi Kishan, Chhaya Kadam, Satendra Soni

Director: Kiran Rao

With a title like that, the basic premise of this new Aamir Khan Productions venture now streaming on Netflix has many clues embedded in. However, what ensues in this slice of rural Indian life drama is anything but predictable.

Deepak (Srivastav) is over the moon that he finally has the green light from all the elderly powers that be to take his newly-wed bride Phool (Goel) home to his village – a tricky journey involving multiple modes of transport and finally a long train ride. Phool’s mother dutifully drapes her daughter’s head to cover her face with red dupatta (scarf) in the customary village wedding tradition and bids her a tearful farewell.

On the train, Deepak and Phool – averse to any public displays of affection in line with arranged marriage norms – encounter at least two other newly-wed brides draped in the same glittering red scarves that are clearly ubiquitous around wedding season across villages of the region. Soon, as the passengers in the packed compartment move about like pieces in an incomplete jigsaw puzzle, Deepak unknowingly loses track of which of the hidden brides is his new wife.

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What follows is a series of dramatic juggles, as he brings home Jaya (Ranta) in an unintentional bridal swap. While the hapless Deepak is sent on a wild goose chase to try and trace where exactly his missing wife could be, a bereft Phool is taken in by kindly railway regulars Manju Maai (Kadam) and Chotu (Soni) as she resolves to wait at the station for her new husband to eventually find her. Meanwhile, Jaya mysteriously seems completely at ease about not being found by her new husband and raises the suspicions of the local police chief (Kishan).

With a corrupt policeman on Jaya’s trail and a naïve Phool refusing to go back to her mother’s home for fear of bringing disrepute to her family, will these two missing young ladies eventually find their way to what is destined for them?

This sweet gem of a film is a commendable directorial venture by Kiran Rao, who has injected almost every human emotion into this beautiful tale. Each of the actors touch a chord with their ability to be portray a deep connect with their milieu – a fictional region by name but very identifiable as village life in today’s India.

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The sensitivity with which messages of women’s emancipation and climate consciousness are tackled will bring a tear to the eye, followed soon enough by laughter with the light-hearted touch of the script. The talented Ravi Kishan’s paan-chewing policeman is not all that he seems and the young actors all depict their respective journeys of self-discovery very convincingly.

This is a must-watch for all fans of filmmaking deeply rooted in the Indian milieu and more widely, just anyone who enjoys an uplifting tale that will leave behind a smile long after the credits roll.