A honest take on family bonding
The much-hyped ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’ is not a masterpiece. That is its best part. This movie is a fresh sincere attempt to tell a story from the heart and it shows on screen. The movie is about Chaudhary family a typical well- to-do prosperous Punjabi family which ,quote unquote Juhi Chawla’s Shatru ji has a Kachchon ki Factory ! The family has a daughter called Sweety played by Sonam Kapoor, who has a secret- she is in a relation with a same sex person played by Regina Cassandra as Kuhu.
The film is about what this couple go through to get acceptance. The good part is they get it. In the process the movie gives us some heart breaking moments like a brother who dotes on his sister falling apart with her because of her choice. Some real funny moments like a cooking obsessed son being stopped from venturing into the kitchen by his traditional conservative mother. Some real sweet moments like Shatru Ji and Balbir Chaudhary discovering feelings for each other. This is one movie after Badhai ho that has a rich cast of characters.
The shart lagao club. Juhi Chawla as Shatru Ji gets her best role in years. The movie holds you completely through its characters and the moments that play out between them and all these subplots merge into the plot almost unnoticed and that is when you feel like applauding the director’s effort. For example the Shart club’s bets on who will finally be Sweety’s life partner.
Sonam Kapoor and Regina are good in their effort. Rajkumarr Rao is now almost taken for granted that he will act well.
The best effort of course comes from Anil Kapoor as Balbir Chaudhary. Balbir is dumb,confused,perceptive,caring, large hearted all-in-one in moments and the way Anil Kapoor shifts gears in all scenes you get to realize that for all these years Anil Kapoor has still so much to offer as an actor. What this man could have given us had multiplexes been there in 1980s when he was in peak form is what you keep wondering. The song ‘good morning’ has an attitude.