Ramanuj Nath

One of the rare movies which show the true color of rural India. The movie is based on a Hindi-speaking belt of Northern India where female literacy and women empowerment are the political agendas only. It adds humor to the serious issues of dowry, female literacy like social norms which need to be addressed. The plot starts with two newly married brides who have lost their husbands on the way to their in-laws' village. Their journey by train itself is heart-touching and it shows how people in rural India travel without complaining to the system, the society and ultimately the government. It also perfectly portrays the corruption in the system. Simultaneously it flawlessly describes the pure heart of villagers. It depicts the struggle of the poor people who suffer to get their basic amenities to live. It shows how a patriarchal society is not only harmful but also a curse to our society. But it is amazing to see the fine acting of this bunch of actors who also have pure hearts like the characters in the movie. Ravi Kishan of course is the only renowned name in the cast. But you will enjoy the flawless acting of newcomer Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Srivastav. You will amazingly watch the expression of Nitanshi Goel and Sparsh Srivastav, especially in a scene when they will find each other after Nitanshi Goel was lost during the train journey. Your eyes may be wet watching the scene and needless to say that credit goes to director Kiran Rao also. She delicately tells the simple story with so much passion. She shows that it is possible to characterize the real stories without using any slang or without showing any dark and bold scenes. The visuals are also scintillating courtesy to the cinematographer Mr. Vikash Nowlakha. How can we forget the writer Sneha Desai! Her strong message with the movie may remind some of the greats like Satyajit Ray or Ritwik Ghatak or even modern-day directors like Anurag Kashyap, Shyam Benegal or Bimal Roy. It may remind you the stories of Bengali writer Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay. It is a must-watch movie for you if you have the guts to accept the flaws of our patriarchal society. But, if you like complete commercials please avoid it. This is not your cup of tea. Kudos to Laapata Ladies!!