Director – Kiran Rao
Release Date – 1 March 2024
| Total Reviews | 10 |
| Average Rating | 3.94 |
| Word of Mouth (Critics) | Excellent |
Rating Score -> 4/5
#LaapataaLadies is a small film with a big heart… One of those films you fall in love with… Right from the novel premise to the interesting sequence of events, stellar performances and superb finale, #LaapataaLadies deserves the HIGHEST PRAISE for its originality, honesty and sincerity… DON’T MISS IT!
Rating Score -> 3.5/5
Kiran Rao’s delightful film delivers its message loud and clear. Kiran Rao 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.
Rating Score -> 4/5
Laapataa Ladies tramples these age-old narratives by stating loud and clear, “A ‘respectable’ girl is the biggest fraud in society’, as it conditions her to not question the status quo. The story doesn’t allow women to play the victim card either. It sternly says, “It’s not shameful to be a fool but being proud of one’s ignorance is a shame.”
Rating Score -> n/a
After 12th Fail, it is yet another moving illustration of how pertinent social commentary could be woven into an engaging story. An example of excellent teamwork, the technical and aesthetic legs run in tandem with hardly any lag in tonality and pace. The rustic ambience is credible, the dialect and costumes don’t seek attention, and the performances flow seamlessly.
Rating Score -> n/a
Laapataa Ladies is set sometime in 2001, way before mobile phones became an extension of our bodies, and WhatsApp, an inseparable part of our lives. There is no social media either, so no way you can search for someone in the virtual world. Despite this disconnect, how the film effortlessly finds a connect and becomes relatable is worth a mention. As a socially relevant film, the film touches upon varied subjects ranging from female education, infertility to dowry and domestic violence, and does not go overboard with any of it.
Rating Score -> 4.5/5
Laapata Ladies overall is a must-watch. The film definitely will give the motivation to work out the problems in an effective manner. Be it being in a jolly mood or being serious, the film has showcased every emotion.
Rating Score -> 4/5
Rao manages to intertwine all these stories and juxtapose them with one another at right junctions, without being too in-your-face about it. The subtlety works beautifully as the stark contrast in each of the characters’ lives unfold. The best part about the film is that it doesn’t make women feel victimised or play the victim card.
Rating Score -> 4/5
Laapataa Ladies is gentle yet firm in calling out the hypocrisies colouring everyday mindsets and prejudices without acquiring the high-handedness of a crusader. As its good-humouredly told story energetically advances towards its predictable but pleasant outcome, Phool and Jaya have found an ardent cheerleader in the audience.
Rating Score -> 3.5/5
‘Laapataa Ladies’ is a robust nod to women with a silent but strong spine. It’s like your perfect palette cleanser of a film if you are facing unusual fatigue from dark, violent, and bloody films. This coming-of-age film, that doesn’t take itself too seriously, is the perfect antidote to all toxic and dark material that’s now dominating our entertainment landscape. Just like the spirited women and men in ‘Laapataa Ladies’, this film is one life-affirming joy ride.
Rating Score -> 4/5
Kiran Rao also masterfully uses totems to first establish a stereotype and then smash it down. Like the penguin Use Me Phool hides behind, for she’s been reared to be ‘used’ in ghar-grihastha, or the little cat in Manju Mai’s kholi, self-sufficient, licking her paws, all snuggled up in her alone-ness and not loneliness, just like Manju herself. All strung together like pearls in a beautiful necklace called Laapataa Ladies.
