Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga -Movie Review – Is definitely a thought-provoking film.
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga Starring Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao we got a hint from the trailer how it’s a love story with a modern twist.
The makers take their own sweet time to unravel the rabbit out of the hat.
Rajkummar Rao and Anil Kapoor steal the show in the first half
It starts with the family of Sweety (Sonam Kapoor) celebrating her high grades in her post-graduation exams.
As any typical Indian family would do after, they are hunting guys for Sweety.
The film is being discussed due to its storyline of same-sex relationships.
We are introduced to Sweety Choudhary, the daughter of Moga’s richest factory owner.
Everyone is keen to find the best groom for her but she is disinterested.
Her secret is known only to her elder brother who has warned her of the consequences.
In between, she bumps into a playwright Sahil Mirza who is instantly smitten by her.
A series of misunderstandings follow and we are all set for the big expose.
Rajkummar Rao steals the show in the first half as the lovestruck writer.
Giving him competition in the acting department is Anil Kapoor who does brilliantly as a businessman who harboured dreams of becoming a masterchef.
The film is humorous and the supporting cast is wonderful.
Filmmaker Shelly Chopra Dhar captures the vibe of small-town India with love and is a fine narrator
She bumps into Sahil Mirza (Rajkummar Rao), an aspiring writer, as she runs from her family.
As the makers drop hints about Sweety’s sexual preference, we see Sahil Mirza falling for her.
As far as the performances are concerned it’s Gazal Dhaliwal who’s the hero of the first half – he’s the one who has written the dialogues of the film.
Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla and Madhumalti Kapoor (Gifty Biji) rule the strong pack of actors.
The house party song is unwanted but Gud Naal Ishq sets the energy high in the start.
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga talks about a pertinent issue – marriages of the middle class, queer and Indian women.
Sonam Kapoor-Rajkummar Rao’s tale of let love be wins you over with its simplicity and charm.
Sonam is essaying an LGBTQ character in the forthcoming movie.
Kudos to Sonam Kapoor for choosing a character that many mainstream actresses would reject.
The same goes to Regina Cassandra who is a big name down South.
However, the stars of the story are the two men in Sweety’s (Sonam Kapoor) life.
Anil Kapoor as Balbir and Rajkummar Rao as Sahil deliver sterling performances.
Rao is endearing as the smitten writer turned BFF while Kapoor nails it as a doting dad who dreamt of becoming a masterchef.
Brijendra Kala as the house servant Chaubey is simply superb. And so is Seema Pahwa as the cook.
Shelly Chopra Dhar captures the ambience of small town Punjab beautifully minus the usual tropes of lassi and sarson da saag.
It is also a nice tribute to the love for Bollywood among the aam junta.
The writer delves into the issues faced by the LGBTQ community like discrimination, social isolation and mental agony but nowhere does the film seem like a dark one.
The songs especially the title track and Chittiya stand out.
The trailer of the film has received a positive response from the audience and the movie definitely is going to leave a mark.
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is definitely a thought-provoking film and its triumph lies in telling a tough subject with a certain amount of humour and lyricism.
It can be watched with families without any hesitation.
Bollywood has surely found a good story teller in Shelly Chopra Dhar.
And lastly, everyone would want a BFF like Rajkummar’s Sahil Mirza after this film.
Raiting : 4 *