There are several preachy movies out there about empowering women. Quite often, the message is diluted between numerous other social messages. But Laapataa Ladies is not like that. It is a movie that speaks of women’s empowerment without getting too preachy, and honestly, the empowerment in the movie is accidental. Starring Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, and Sparsh Shrivastava, the movie is a Kiran Rao directorial.

“Face dhakne ka matlab pehchaan dhakna“

Quite a telling statement, isn’t it? That’s exactly what Laapataa Ladies is all about; making a statement but not hitting you over the head with a hammer. The movie starts with the bidaai of Phool (Nitanshi Goel) after her wedding to Deepak (Sparsh Shrivastava). As the two are on the way to Deepak’s village Surajmukhi, they come across another newly married couple on the train. Both the brides are covered in a long veil and their faces are hidden. To nobody’s surprise, Deepak gets off the train with the wrong bride and therein ensues the confusion.

While Deepak’s family is flabbergasted as to how he could bring home the wrong bride, Jaya (Pratibha Ranta) speaks up to tell his family how the wedding veil is the reason for the confusion. The veil doesn’t allow anyone to identify the bride, and it doesn’t allow the woman to look at anything apart from the footwear of the person walking in front of her.

As Deepak starts a frantic search for his wife in Surajmukhi, Phool tries her best to go home from Patela. Unfortunately, she doesn’t remember the name of Deepak’s village and refuses to take his name, instead showing his name written in henna on her hand to the station master at the railway station.

In Surajmukhi, at Deepak’s home, Jaya is a peculiar sight, as she refuses to abide by the patriarchal rules. She, instead, tries to empower the other women in the house through small changes. Be it asking Deepak’s mother why she no longer cooks kamalkakkadi ki sabzi, even though it’s her favourite, encouraging Deepak’s sister-in-law to call her husband by his name, and even motivating her to work on her art.

On the other side, Phool is caught in the traditional thought process that she is raised in, but as days pass, she realises it’s a cage in the name of tradition. Stranded at the Patela railway station, she meets Manju Dadi, who runs a tea stall, and Chhotu who works with her. Staying with Manju Dadi, Phool realises that there’s more to her identity than just being somebody’s daughter and wife. When the dadi tells her the biggest fraud the world tells women is bhale ghar ki bahu beti, at first she doesn’t agree, but soon realises what it really means.

Delightful performances

The performances in Laapataa Ladies are delightful and well done. The three protagonists Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, and Sparsh Shrivastava put up an engaging and relatable performance. Phool’s innocence, Jaya’s grit, and Deepak’s desperation are conveyed well by the respective actors. Ravi Kishan, as a police officer, adds much-needed charm and comedic relief to the movie. He is a corrupt official, but a dil ka achha banda, and his actions prove it.

Laapataa Ladies is a breezy, easy, and delightful watch, now playing in theatres.

Can you watch Laapataa Ladies with your family?: Absolutely. In fact, I urge you to watch this one with the fam.

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