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MOVIE REVIEW: Laapataa Ladies (Missing Ladies)

By Gitanjali Chak

April 2024

Laapataa Ladies (Missing Ladies)

Starring: Sparsh Shrivastava, Nitanshi Goel, Pratbha Ranta, Ravi Kishan

Producers: Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao

Director: Kiran Rao

Music Director: Ram Sampath

The year is 2001. Somewhere in the interior of rural India (in the fictitious Nirmal Pradesh, to be precise), new bride Phool Kumari (Nitanshi Goel) is left stranded at a railway station when her husband Deepak (Sparsh Shrivastava) alights from the train holding the hand of another man’s bride (Pratibha Ranta) travelling in the same compartment! You see, it is dark and both the brides are identically attired with long veils covering their faces. Sounds bizarre, right?

Adapted from an award-winning story by Biplav Goswami, Laapataa Ladies is a winner all the way, a blemish here or there notwithstanding. Though light and breezy—it’s laced both with humor and sweet moments—this gentle satire on deep-seated patriarchy makes a powerful plea for women’s empowerment nevertheless. Kudos to second-time director Kiran Rao for crafting her labor of love with an assured hand and a tender touch, evident in all the frames.

Kiran’s masterstroke is the casting. None of the three main leads are known faces, which works beautifully for this kind of
film where authenticity is the byword. Nitanshi Goel, Sparsh Shrivastava, and Pratibha Ranta are absolute finds of the year.
The most famous face here is Ravi Kishan, who aces it as a greedy and righteous cop. Chhaya Kadam playing the feisty Manju Maai is simply brilliant.

So do watch Laapataa Ladies, an ode to women who find themselves only after losing their way.

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