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Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga – A Love Story

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga – A Different Love Story

‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’ begins, in true Bollywood fashion, with a Big Fat Indian wedding but as you meet the people in this universe you soon realize that it’s not more of the same and that Bollywood is actually taking some risks. You have all the ingredients for a romantic comedy/drama with familiar 70’s landmarks to draw the moviegoers in – who doesn’t love Anil Kapoor – Mr.India – and the lovely feisty Juhi Chawla? Then there’s everyone’s current hot favorite Rajkummar Rao – you just are so ready to go on any trip, any narrative with him! And there’s the fact that for the first time real life father and daughter – Anil Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja – are actually performing together – and as father and daughter.  And the catchy title song ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha’ has memories of the hit Anil Kapoor starrer ‘1942: A Love Story’ for most diehard film buffs.

These factors are enough to park film-goers in their comfort zone and ready to absorb whatever comes next. Very soon though you realize that this is not evolving into a typical boy-meets-girl Bollywood romance – it’s actually a girl-meets-girl romance – a big no-no in Bollywood. We first saw a taboo lesbian love relationship in Deepa Mehta’s ‘Fire’ and it caused a lot of controversy and outrage.

While gay relationships have been seen in ‘My Brother Nikhil’, ‘The Kapoor Family’ and ‘Dostana’ (albeit a faux gay relationship), a girl-loves-girl story has not hit the screen except for the powerful ‘Margarita with a Straw’ which took you into the complex life of a teenager with cerebral palsy.

So one wonders are lesbian relationships not taken seriously on the Indian screen or just don’t merit a film in the male-dominated industry?  Can women really speak up about what they want and be heard? Do producers worry about their box-office returns when they pick up a volatile topic?

With ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga’ you have Bollywood taking a stab at a difficult issue and it is delivered in the Bollywood way – with the pure panache of a masala offering: there’s comedy, music, dance, wedding scenes and family – loads of family. Yes, there’s an emotional, over-the-top grandmother, father, brother and assorted relatives for in India you don’t just marry a boy or a girl – you marry the whole extended family. So everyone’s approval is essential.

Sonam Kapoor Ahuja plays Sweety, a closeted lesbian who has to come out to her conservative Punjabi family and does it with the help of Sahil (Rajkummar Rao), a young playwright who is in love with her. He creates a play to open the eyes of her resistant father and the society of their hometown Moga in Punjab, and gets the unwitting family involved in its production.

The film comes from the big production house of Vidhu Vinod Chopra and is the first time directorial effort of his younger sister Shelly Chopra Dhar who also co-wrote the script with Ghazal Dhaliwal, who is really close to the theme of this film. Dhaliwal is a transwoman whose poignant real life story was showcased in Aamir Khan’s Satyamev Jayate television series. She is the writer behind several films including ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’.  I think it helps that there are two strong women behind this film  and there’s more of an emotional grip on the father-daughter relationship as well as on what women go through to keep their secret lives secret just to be able to live in society and not rock the boat.

I also liked the fact that it is set in Moga in rural Punjab – more of India’s masses may identify with the goings on when the family reflects one like their own. Westernized and urban families in India are already familiar with gay and lesbian issues – ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha’ could do a real service if it changes some minds or even merely opens some dialogue in the hinterland. It might be a game changer if it changes the life of even one girl by changing the minds of her family and the society around her.

Social reform through the easy device of a play is a bit hackneyed nor does Sahil seem a particularly effective playwright but the plot is carried forward and the performances keep you involved. Rajkummar Rao is always wonderful and as Sahil, the man who’ll do anything for the woman he loves, he’s a winner.  Sonam Kapoor as Sweety and Regina Cassandra  as Kuhu, the woman she loves are believable but not enough of their love story or their passion is shown to really engage you or have you deeply invested in their happy ending. One has to commend Sonam for taking on a role which many Bollywood heroines would hesitate to take on.

Anil Kapoor as Balbir Chaudhery, the father who changes his mind and Juhi Chawla as Chatro, the feisty, chatty caterer who helps him see things from a different perspective are both wonderful and need to be seen more in cinema. The supporting cast fits into the town of Moga in the Punjab as if they were real long time residents and there are solid performances from everyone, especially Abhishek Duhan as Sweety’s fiery brother Babloo and Madhumati Kapoor as Beeji, the colorful matriarch of the family.

Shelly Chopra Dhar who wrote the story with Ghazal Dhaliwal  and directed the film, brings in several engaging subplots and each seems to underline the fact that we all have just one life to live and should follow the path that makes us the happiest. She has a confident handle on the film which is always natural and entertaining to watch.

For once, there’s a film which has strong implications for the gay community and one which actually showcases their story.  I asked Ashu Rai of Sholay Events, who is part of the LGBT community in New York, for her reactions to the film.

“While there could have been more depth to Sonam Kapoor’s relationship with her girl-friend, I was touched and very emotional during the scenes portraying the extreme bullying and homophobia endured by Sonam as a young schoolgirl and by her best gay friend,” she said.

“Some of the most touching moments to me in the film were the reactions of the remaining audience members watching the play: from the young girl with her parents possibly dealing with her own issues of homophobia to the older gentleman in his seat sobbing as he’s watching the play.  This movie is a small step for Bollywood and I hope to see the floodgates open.”

Indeed, ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha’ brings taboo topics out in the open and one hopes it will help start the dialogue, and lead to more complex and honest films from the many notable filmmakers in the Indian film industry. Some independent films have already tackled hard issues in powerful ways. However, it is always great to see Bollywood pitch in because the masses – from village bigwigs to influential matriarchs to the young – watch and are influenced by these films.

On the topic of sexual preference, you need all of society – and that means grandparents, aunts and uncles and neighbors – to get on the same page. It’s laudable to see the producers of ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga’ going on a limb and make a statement with their pocketbook.

While ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga’ is not earth-shaking, it does venture into new territory for Bollywood. Hopefully the box-office will reward it. I would definitely recommend a watch – it is an entertaining, fun comedy and yet has something meaningful to say, and maybe even the power to change some minds.

Comments on Youtube rarely move one, but while checking out the responses to the film I was impressed by how many heartfelt comments there were and how much this movie had meant to the LGBTQ community. As one commentator wrote: “As a bisexual girl who’s struggling to find acceptance, this trailer very nearly brought tears to my eyes. I can’t wait to watch this. Thank you for giving me a chance to make peace with my family.”

Another wrote: “I will go mad…so much positivity in the comments….I am literally getting goosebumps….lgbtq in mainstream this is truly rocking….I think I will b out to my family after letting them watch this masterpiece….love for the casts and crews….”

Now what can be a more ringing endorsement for a film than that?