Review: Laal Singh Chaddha
Director Advait Chandan’s ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ is a neatly made, good adaptation of director Robert Zemeckis’s English film, ‘Forrest Gump’.
Film: Laal Singh Chaddha
Director: Advait Chandan
Cast: Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Naga Chaitanya, Mona Singh, Manav Vij and others
Cinematography:Satyajit Pande
Music:Pritam
Background Score:Tanuj Tiku
Editor: Hemanti Sarkar
Rating: 3.5 stars
Director Advait Chandan’s ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ is a neatly made, good adaptation of director Robert Zemeckis’s English film, ‘Forrest Gump’.
To even attempt a remake of such a classic requires great courage and to Aamir Khan’s credit, he not only manages to attempt an adaptation but also manages to do it well.
As a result, the film leaves you moved by the time it ends.
The beauty of ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ being an adaptation of ‘Forrest Gump’ is that it has something to offer both –those who have watched ‘Forrest Gump’ and those who haven’t.
To those who haven’t watched the English film, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ is bound to come across as a heart-moving, lovable tale of an ordinary man, who could do extraordinary things –both for those who loved him and for those whom he loved.
To those who have already watched ‘Forrest Gump’, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ still comes across as a fresh film, as although the souls of both films are the same, their contents are markedly different.
Yes, Atul Kulkarni has beautifully adapted the story to suit the tastes of Indian audience. While Forrest Gump had the protagonist loving chocolates, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ has the protagonist loving Pani Puri.
While Forrest Gump’s sweetheart Jenny has a troubled childhood because of a sexually abusive dad, Lal Singh Chaddha’s sweetheart Rupa has a troubled childhood because of the domestic violence on her mom by her dad.
What Atul Kulkarni seems to have done is that he seems to have retained the characters but has changed the causes of their pain.
Atul Kulkarni also seems to have recreated the story with events from Indian history to make it more relatable to Indian audiences.
From the shootout at the Amritsar Golden Temple to the demolition of the Babri Masjid to the Kargil War, all significant events find mention in this beautiful success story of a man, considered to have a low level of IQ.
Aamir Khan as Laal Singh Chaddha is brilliant. Innocent to the point of being dumb but ferocious and determined when it comes to protecting loved ones, Aamir is just perfect.
Kareena Kapoor plays Rupa with elegance and ease. She easily fits in to the character and charms you with her simplicity. Her pain and the things they make her aspire for make you pity her.
Naga Chaitanya as Balaraju does a fantastic job. In fact, he is as good as Aamir when it comes to playing his part. A pleasant surprise indeed!
Satyajit Pande’s visuals are striking and a delight to watch. In fact, cinematography comes across as the best department when it comes to the film’s technical side.
Tanuj Tiku’s background score is just about okay but that falls immensely short of the melliflous background score that one got to experience while watching ‘Forrest Gump’. The background score of ‘Forrest Gump’ was one of the reasons why the film was able to make such a profound impact on its audiences. However, Tanuj Tiku’s music doesn’t measure up.
Another department that does not measure up is the editing. The film comes across as being too long and one feels the editor should have cut out some unnecessary portions which could have made the film a lot more impactful. But these are just minor issues.
Don’t let these stop you from watching a really adorable film!
