Noukadubi is a 1906 novel by Rabindranath Tagore, which revolves around a case of mistaken identity. The novel has been adapted many times on celluloid. Milan (1946), starring Dilip Kumar, was based on the same, and so was Ghunghat (1960). The basic idea of Laapataa Ladies is very similar to that of Tagore’ s novel. Director Kiran Rao has woven a story which uses the mistaken identity trope to offer a sharp critique of the present society. It’s a film which celebrates women empowerment, saying that things need to be changed from the grassroots level. Despite being message-driven, the film also is a light-hearted comedy at one level, tickling your funny bone from the start to the end.
Deepak (Sparsh Shrivastava) and Phool (Nitanshi Goel) are newly married. The couple boards a crowded train to Deepak’s village Mukhi. It being the wedding season, their compartment has other married couples as well. The women are clad similar attires and have a heavy red veil over their faces, limiting their vision. When their halt comes in the night, Deepak mistakes another bride for Phool and asks the girl to alight with him. After returning home, Deepak realises that the woman he has taken home is not his wife Phool but actually a girl who introduces herself as Pushpa Rani (Pratibha Ranta). Phool gets off at another remote station and finds herself lost. She’s helped by a midget, Chotu (Satendra Soni) and Manju Maayi (Chhaya Kadam), an elderly woman running the tea stall. Pushpa is kind of adopted by Deepak’s family and well looked after, with the whole family involved in getting her back to her real husband. But she’s not what she seems. Meanwhile, a corrupt but benign police inspector Manohar (Ravi Kishan) starts taking interest in the case and draws some startling conclusions…
As said earlier, the film is a social satire which talks about women empowerment. Being with Manju Maayi helps Pooja learn self-reliance. Maayi tells her that she should learn to stand up for herself and starts living for herself and not just for others. The elder woman opens her eyes to the fact that patriarchy is ingrained thoroughly in our society and one should recognise that and fight that in order to live on one’s own terms. Pushpa too has her own struggles. She’s a brilliant student, who wants to study further and is stymied by circumstances from doing so. When fate gives her a chance to right the wrongs, she grabs the opportunity by its forelocks and takes full advantage of the situation.
Small incidents drive home big points in the film. The women of Deepak’s house discuss that they’ve forgotten what their favourite dishes are as they’ve always catered to the choices of the men in the family. Deepak’s father asks him to wear old clothes while going to the police station as the amount of bribe rises in direct proportion to how well-off one looks. Another incident points towards the fact that keeping women veiled robs them of their identity. Chhaya Kadam’s character once says that women don’t actually need men for anything and men have always suppressed that fact. She also emphasises that companionship is one thing but learning to live alone is rewarding as well. The romance between Deepak and Pooja is as real as it gets, devoid of any filmic connotations. Her growth as a woman who recognises her strengths is organic.
The film’s casting is a masterstroke. Apart from Ravi Kishan’s obvious star value, who has done a wonderful job as a bribe-hungry cop, who nevertheless knows right from wrong, the main players are newcomers. Sparsh Shrivastava, Pratibha Ranta and Nitanshi Goel are perfect in their respective roles. One feels one’s watching someone taken from the street and not professional actors. Their expressions, diction, and body language is spot on and all three have done ample justice to the characters they portray.
Kiran Rao, whose last film as a director, Dhobi Ghat, came in 2010, has made a film which entertains you at all fronts. Why such a competent director waited for such a long time for her next offering is beyond our ken. Let’s hope she picks up the gauntlet soon.
Watch Laapataa Ladies for its moving story, powerful message and the realistic acting displayed by the entire cast.
