Laapataa Ladies Movie Review

Laapataa Ladies Movie Review: “Laapataa Ladies” (transl. ”Lost Ladies”) is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Kiran Rao and produced by Rao, Aamir Khan, and Jyoti Deshpande. The film features Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastav, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan, and follows the story of two young brides who are mistakenly switched during a train journey to their husbands’ homes.

Premiering at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 8, 2023, the film was released theatrically on March 1, 2024. It received positive reviews from both critics and audiences, who praised its story, screenplay, and cast performances.

Story

In 2001, in the fictional Nirmal Pradesh, a farmer named Deepak is traveling back to his village with his new bride, Phool Kumari. They board a crowded passenger train filled with other newlywed couples, all the brides wearing identical attire with their faces covered by veils, as per tradition. Deepak falls asleep and, upon waking at night, rushes to disembark at his destination. In the confusion, he mistakenly takes the wrong bride with him, leaving Phool behind on the train.

When Deepak and the wrong bride arrive at his home, his family is shocked to discover the mix-up. The bride, adopting the name Pushpa, fabricates a story about her origins. Meanwhile, at a different station, Phool realizes the error but cannot get help from the station master, as she doesn’t know the name of Deepak’s village. Refusing to return home and bring shame to her family, she decides to stay at the station, where she is taken in by Manju Mai, who runs a tea stand.

Desperate to find Phool, Deepak reports the incident to SI Shyam Manohar, who begins to suspect Pushpa might be a thief. Observing her activities, such as selling jewelry, using a mobile phone, and buying bus tickets, his suspicions grow. Despite this, Pushpa starts to bond with Deepak’s family. Phool, on the other hand, starts working at the tea stand with Manju Mai. She learns to make Kalaakand and becomes more independent.

Believing Pushpa to be part of a gang of thieves, Manohar arrests her. At the police station, another man named Pradeep arrives looking for Jaya, another bride involved in the mix-up. He assaults her in front of the officers and threatens to reclaim her dowry from her mother. However, Manohar points out that his actions are illegal and, since Jaya is an adult, she cannot be forced to go with anyone against her will. He releases Jaya. Eventually, Phool manages to reunite with Deepak, bringing the mix-up to a resolution.

Main Casts

Production