Sukanya reviews Ek Ladki ko Dekha toh Aisa Laga, exclusively for Different Truths.

Film:  Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019)

 Director:  Shelly Chopra Dhar

Writers:  Shelly Chopra Dhar (Screenplay), Gazal Dhaliwal (Screenplay)

Stars:  Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao

Balbir Chaudhary is a well to do entrepreneur in small township, Moga, in Punjab, living with his mother and kids, Babloo and Sweety. Sahil Mirza, son of well-known film producer is a disastrous writer director. He saves Sweety from a person but later realises he was her bother, Babloo, trying to stop her from something.

Balbir Chaudhary is a well to do entrepreneur in small township, Moga, in Punjab, living with his mother and kids, Babloo and Sweety. Sahil Mirza, son of well-known film producer is a disastrous writer director. He saves Sweety from a person but later realises he was her bother, Babloo, trying to stop her from something. Sahil reaches Moga with Chatro to search for Sweety and conducts an acting workshop. Baldev and his folk sense that Sweety is having a thing with a Muslim boy and put limitations for her in external world. Sahil encourages Sweety’s grandmother in the workshop sessions and is invited to her birthday get-together with Chatro where Baldev mistakes him as the same Muslim boy. All the while Sahil thinks that Sweety is in love with him. But she discloses to him that she is different from everyone and tells him, her secret.

Some love stories are not simple and so is the case with Sweety. She has to contend with her over-enthusiastic family that wants to get her wedded- initially to her brother’s friend and later to Sahil, a secret that she harbours close to her heart and ultimately the truth that her true love might not find acceptance in her family and society. Resolving these disputes prove comical, stirring as well as life changing.

For the viewers to understand the nuances of the character; there protagonist had to be a lot more relate-able. Also the icing on the cake was the supporting cast.

In the conservative Indian society, it was necessary that a commercial movie starring some A-Listers and big production house. The purpose was well served along with some peppy music, light and bright humour. However, the protagonist’s role couldn’t pull me in. For the viewers to understand the nuances of the character; there protagonist had to be a lot more relate-able. Also the icing on the cake was the supporting cast. Be it Anil, the brother, the helpers, Regina, Juhi and the best- Rajkumar. Everyone put their best foot forward to delve in their characters.

I loved how Sweety’s father, Balbir Chaudhary too was suppressed and was kept from living the life of his dreams (he wanted to be a chef but couldn’t pull it off because of society’s stereotyped conventions). That gives a nice logic as to why he could prove to be an understanding father later on in the film.

Photo sourced by the author