Laapataa Ladies (transl. Lost ladies) is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Kiran Rao,[6] and produced by Rao, Aamir Khan, and Jyoti Deshpande.[7] It stars Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastav, Chhaya Kadam and Ravi Kishan, and tells the story of two young brides who get lost during a train ride.[8]
| Laapataa Ladies | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kiran Rao |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Vikash Nowlakha |
| Edited by | Jabeen Merchant |
| Music by | Ram Sampath |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Yash Raj Films |
Release dates | |
Running time | 124 minutes[3] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | est.₹4−5 crore[4] |
| Box office | ₹21.65 crore[5] |
The film was screened at the 48th 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on 8 September 2023,[2] and was theatrically released on 1 March 2024.[9] The film opened to positive reviews from critics and audience and was praised for its story, screenplay and cast performances.[10]
Plot edit
In 2001 in the fictional Nirmal Pradesh, Deepak, a farmer, is travelling back to his village with his new bride, Phool. They get into a crowded passenger train along with many other newlywed couples. The brides all wear the same-colored attire with their faces completely covered with a veil as is the tradition. Deepak dozes off and wakes up in the night to realize that he has arrived at his destination. In the darkness and confusion from the rush to leave, he disembarks with the wrong bride and Phool is left behind on the train.
The couple is welcomed by his family only to be shocked when they realize it is the wrong bride. Her real name is Jaya but she gives them a false name and lies about where she is from. Meanwhile, at a different station, Phool realizes the mixup but the station master is unable to help her due to her not knowing the name of Deepak's village. She also refuses to go back home, not wanting to bring shame to her family. She decides to stay at the station in case Deepak comes looking, and is helped by Manju Mai, who runs a tea stand on the platform.
Deepak, frantically looking for Phool, files a report with SI Shyam Manohar. Manohar surmises that Jaya may be a thief. He follows her and sees her sell jewellery, use a mobile phone, and buy bus tickets. Jaya becomes friendly with Deepak's family and shows a surprising amount of knowledge about organic farming.
She is about to flee the village but feels bad about Deepak and asks his artistically-talented sister-in-law to draw a portrait of Phool to help in the search. She then makes posters of the portrait and has them spread around. Phool meanwhile works at the tea stand and learns to be independent.
Thinking that Jaya belongs to a gang of thieves, Manohar arrests her. However, he and Deepak learn that Jaya was married off against her will to Pradeep, an abusive man only interested in dowry. She wanted to pursue a career in organic farming and had gotten admission to a university in Dehradun. When she accidentally left the train with Deepak, she decided to use the opportunity to escape her fate with Pradeep and fulfill her dreams. She had sold off her jewelry to pay for her academic fees and ticket to Dehradun.
Pradeep arrives at the police station for Jaya. He assaults her in front of the cops and threatens to recover the full dowry from her mother. Manohar states that his actions constitutes an offence, and since Jaya is an adult, she cannot be forced to go with anyone. He threatens to charge Pradeep unless he stays away from Jaya.
Due to Jaya's posters, Phool is finally able to come back to Deepak. Jaya, now free from Pradeep, leaves to pursue her studies in Dehradun.
Cast edit
- Nitanshi Goel as Phool Kumari
- Pratibha Ranta as Jaya / Pushpa Rani
- Sparsh Shrivastav as Deepak Kumar
- Chhaya Kadam as Manju Maai
- Ravi Kishan as Inspector Shyam Manohar
- Geeta Agrawal Sharma as Yashoda
- Satendra Soni as Chhotu
- Abeer Jain as Bablu
- Bhaskar Jha as Pradeep
- Daood Hussain as Gunjan
- Durgesh Kumar as Dubey Ji
- Pankaj Sharma as Deepak's Father
- Kanupriya Rishimum as Bela
- Sanjay Dogra as Murti
- Shad Mohamad as Hanif
- Ravi Kapadiya as Abdul
- Vivek Sawrikar as Station Master
- Rachna Gupta as Poonam
- Pranjal Pateriya as Raghu
- Samarth Mayor as Bilas
- Abhay Dubey as Prisoner
Soundtrack edit
| Laapataa Ladies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 13 February 2024 | |||
| Recorded | 2023 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 12:14 | |||
| Language | Hindi | |||
| Label | T-Series | |||
| Ram Sampath chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| Laapataa Ladies - Full Album on YouTube | ||||
The music of the film is composed by Ram Sampath while lyrics written by Divyanidhi Sharma, Prashant Pandey and Swanand Kirkire.[11]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Doubtwa" | Divyanidhi Sharma | Sukhwinder Singh | 2:30 |
| 2. | "Sajni" | Prashant Pandey | Arijit Singh | 2:50 |
| 3. | "Dheeme Dheeme" | Swanand Kirkire | Shreya Ghoshal | 4:28 |
| 4. | "Beda Paar" | Prashant Pandey | Sona Mohapatra | 2:26 |
| Total length: | 12:14 | |||
Release edit
Laapataa Ladies was released in theatres on 1 March 2024.[12] Yash Raj Films acquired global distribution rights (Including UK) for the film.
Home media edit
Reception edit
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.[14]
Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and stated that Kiran Rao returns to the director's seat "with a work that strikes the right notes. She does away with marquee names in Laapataa Ladies... and employs three first-timers in a lively tale of two brides caught in a terrible mix-up."[15]
Bollywood Hungama rated the film 3/5 stars, writing, "Laapataa Ladies works due to the amusing plot, performances, underlying message and some memorable funny and emotional scenes."[16] Catherine Bray of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and stated, "If you can get with the larky premise, Kiran Rao’s tale of mixed-up newlyweds makes for a gently probing comedy of manners."[17]
In a review for The Indian Express, Shubhra Gupta rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Kiran Rao's film is unapologetically message-y, but its strongly beating feminist heart overrides the broad brush strokes. Sometimes things need to be stated loud and clear."[18]
Rishil Jogani of Pinkvilla rated the film 4/5 and opined that Laapataa Ladies "is funny, witty, quirky, entertaining and empowering. It is an extremely important film that utilises the power of cinema in the right way".[19]
Tushar Joshi of India Today rated 4/5 and said in his review that "‘Laapataa Ladies’ is a terrific watch simply because it is put together so well. The length might be a slight issue, but if you invest your heart into this tale of two women gone missing, then you will be in for a treat."[20]
Box office edit
On its first day, the film earned Nett of ₹75 lakh, followed by ₹1.45 crore on the second day and ₹1.7 crore on the third day, a first weekend total of ₹3.75 crore. As of 11 April 2024, the film has a gross of ₹20.49 crore in India and a worldwide gross of ₹21.65 crore.[5]
References edit
- ^ Gopalakrishnan, Aswathy (15 February 2024). "Interview | Kiran Rao on 'Laapataa Ladies', her comeback film as a director". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Laapataa Ladies". TIFF. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Laapataa Ladies (R)". British Board of Film Classification. 1 March 2024. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Laapataa Ladies Box Office Collection Day 7". abplive (in Hindi). 2024-03-07. Archived from the original on 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
- ^ a b "Laapataa Ladies Box Office Collection". Bollywood Hungama. 2024-03-01. Archived from the original on 2024-03-03. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
- ^ "Laapataa Ladies teaser: Kiran Rao, Aamir Khan promise an lethargic, thought-less film on the subject of 'missing' wives". The Indian Express. 8 September 2023. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Laapataa Ladies teaser: Kiran Rao returns to direction 13 years after Dhobi Ghat with a tale of lost brides. Watch". Hindustan Time. 8 September 2023. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Director Kiran Rao attends 'Laapataa Ladies' screening at the Toronto International Film Festival". The Times of India. 9 September 2023. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Laapataa Ladies trailer: Kiran Rao directorial slowly and surely lifts the veil on its comedy of errors Watch". Hindustan Times. 24 January 2024. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Laapataa Ladies: A fantasy by those who have never lived in a village". Indian Express. 7 May 2024. Archived from the original on 7 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Laapataa Ladies (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". JioSaavn. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Laapataa Ladies". Pinkvilla. 2024-03-01. Archived from the original on 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- ^ "Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies: OTT Release Details". Deccan Chronicle. 2024-03-13. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- ^ "Lost Ladies". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (1 March 2024). "Laapataa Ladies Review: Emotionally Engaging Film Laced With Doses Of Wry Humour". NDTV. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Laapataa Ladies Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama. 28 February 2024. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Bray, Catherine (1 March 2024). "Laapataa Ladies review – Shakespearean carry-on in Indian arranged-marriage comedy". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Gupta, Shubhra (2024-03-01). "Laapataa Ladies movie review". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ "Laapataa Ladies review". Pinkvilla. 2024-02-29. Archived from the original on 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ Joshi, Tushar (2024-03-01). "'Laapataa Ladies' review: Kiran Rao's comeback is a terrific watch". India Today. Archived from the original on 2024-03-02. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
