Unveiling Laapata Ladies: A Feminist Exploration of Love and Liberation

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Recently, Kiran Rao's Laapata Ladies was released on Netflix, and it is worth every appreciation and hype there is for the movie on social media. My Instagram is filled with it, and many reels end up being shared on my Instagram stories (gonna be obsessing over the movie for some time now).

It is a movie that rightly depicts feminism. Laapataa Ladies explore and respect the choices of both the lead female characters, along with Manju Mai (dadi). The feminist dialogues are on point. The only problematic statement was from Mai that women don't need men. Maybe not husbands, as marriage should be out of choice, but surely progressive fathers and brothers who are not threatened by women's independence, opinions, and professional work.

The movie proved that feminism isn't about drinking, smoking, and cheating alone, as portrayed in a series on Amazon Prime and partly in Lipstick Under My Burkha. Feminism, as a concept/movement, is simple and aims for giving women a right to choose what they want—to be a homemaker (along with a small business if they want) or be educated further and work professionally and earn their own money; to marry or not; and to have kids or not. It was beautiful seeing the female camaraderie in the family where she encourages Deepak's mother and sister-in-law to cook dishes they like and continue working on their talents.

Deepak was a whole green forest character in the movie. Except for one drinking scene, he is not shown to have any bad habits like smoking. He respects and loves Phool, his wife, and when brides get exchanged on the train, he vows to get Pushpa Rani (Jaya) safely to her home. Despite a short screen time, along with Jaya, Gunjan also seemed to be a promising lead (maybe in a spin-off movie with them as romantic leads), and I really wished they would have more scenes together and a scene that could foreshawdow their courtship period.

The movie portrays innocent love, devoid of vulgarity and unnecessary boldness or nudity. It is full of simplicity and respect. Set in a North Indian village in 2001, the simple plot and love were a refreshing change from the unnecessary complexities of situationships, textuationships, and what not of the current times. This is one of the reasons the movie has been receiving so much love from the audience. 

Unfortunately, the movie did not get such praise and word-of-mouth recommendations when it was in theatres. The movie wasn't promoted well either, so I never realised when it came into the theatres and went away. 

There are some more points in my mind, but I would not type it to avoid giving any spoilers. The movie has a simple plot without any added masalas to make it more appealing for the audiences. The movie has a slow start, so hang in a little before deciding to end it beforehand.

In conclusion, it is a great movie and a must-watch. I have been recommending it to many people as well and can't get enough of its appreciation. The majority of actors aren't so well known but have pulled off the acting quite like the experienced ones. The last scene where Phool calls out Deepak's name and a hug between Phool and Jaya has my heart. This is the Bollywood we want and hope to get more such good movies.