I was looking for a female-directed movie on streaming and came across Lost Ladies (original title: Laapataa Ladies) on Netflix. Mistaken identity is a popular storytelling trope from Shakespearean times, especially in his comedies like As You Like It or Twelfth Night. While the misadventures of two young brides may appear frivolous, even absurd, Laapataa Ladies is so much more than meets the eye.

The premise is simple enough, we get exactly what the title describes, which is bound to happen when several brides wearing similar-colored gold/red ghunghat (veil) that cover their faces board the same train. Set in Nirmal Pradesh (province) of India, we first see Deepak (Sparsh Shrivastav) with his new bride Phool (Nitanshi Goel), en route to Murti station at night. Deepak was in a rush to get out so he accidentally grabbed the wrong girl. Now, this mishap could’ve easily been avoided if it had behooved Deepak to peek under the veil before taking the girl home to his family. Of course, everyone is aghast to find out it’s another woman named Pushpa aka Jaya (Pratibha Ranta) standing in front of them. It was a hilarious moment though I actually feel pretty bad for everyone involved, especially Phool who ends up wandering around the station all by herself.

Sparsh Shrivastav and Nitanshi Goel

Along the way, Phool meets people who sort of become her friends, such as young peddler Chotu (Satendra Soni) and Manu (Chhaya Kadam), owner of a tea stall at the railway station whom Phool calls grandma. Manu is a feisty independent woman who becomes Phool’s mentor who bestows much-needed wisdom. Meanwhile, there’s a sense of mystery around Jaya who often sneaks around from Deepak’s home. Her character is full of surprises as we slowly learn that her dream is definitely not to be a housewife to a controlling man.

Pratibha Ranta

The misadventures of the two young women, and the confusion surrounding their identities make for some of the funniest as well as heartwarming moments. Penned by Sneha Desai and directed by Kiran Rao, the movie is adapted from Biplab Goswami’s story called Two Brides. It effectively uses humor to shed light on misogyny, gender inequality, Indian women’s struggle for self-respect, and their challenges in fighting against oppressive social norms. Goal and Ranta are well-suited for their roles, though the latter’s character arc is slightly more compelling.

Chhaya Kadam

Phool and Jaya are two very different women–Phool is naive and excited about her marriage, while Jay knows exactly what she wants out of life which is sidelined by the marriage her family forced her into. It’s an interesting contrast to show that no matter what kind of women they are, they both suffer under the patriarchy. The ghunghat (headscarf) serves as a symbol of a restrictive rule imposed by the Indian patriarchy on women, so as the two women lift their veils, they ultimately assert their independence.

The female characters overpower the male characters, except for Ravi Kishan as the greedy inspector Manohar who has no qualms about taking bribes. Kishan is quite the scene stealer, the interrogation scenes are hilarious, especially towards the end as he suddenly gains a conscience after hearing Jaya’s story. The film’s antagonist Pradeep (Bhaskar Jha) is made to represent the chauvinistic and dominating Indian men who mistreat their women. As far as arranged marriage is concerned, the movie doesn’t frown upon nor romanticize the practice, but it offers a nuanced, thought-provoking exploration of different viewpoints.

Ravi Kishan

I’m so glad I found the Laapataa Ladies, this gem of a film is definitely not your run-of-the-mill Bollywood movie that often boasts well-choreographed dance or fight spectacles and larger-than-life heroes. I love that Rao focuses on two ordinary women from remote villages overcoming extraordinary circumstances. It’s one of the most inspiring crowdpleasers that makes me tear up while getting up to cheer. This movie is streaming on Netflix, I highly recommend it!

Have you seen LOST LADIES? What did you think?

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