Normal is an illusion. It is an environment, a conditioning. A belief that has been instilled by your family, religion, society and maybe by yourself as well. What is normal to the spider is chaos for the fly. So, to characterize something as normal might not be wrong. But, it might not be right as well. Perspective is a beautiful thing. That mixed with experience, knowledge and an open mind has the potential to teach and feel things beyond you could ever imagine.
Of course, all this is easy to understand, that is if you are willing to, when it is happening to someone else. A friend, a colleague, a relative. But if it happens to you, your kids or someone in your inner circle, that’s where the actual tragedy comedy begins. Because whether you understand the concept of homosexuality or not, understanding that a human being will never willingly put themselves through a sexual orientation discovery hell is something of common sense. You’re born with it and that’s that.
Ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga is a story of a homosexual girl who is forced to hide her truth as her sexual orientation is labeled abnormal and considered a disease that apparently has a cure. Aware and burdened with her uniqueness and at constant crossroads with god, Sweety accepts her life of loneliness until she meets Kuhu who, like her is also fighting a similar battle. What becomes of the two and their loved ones is the tale of this simple yet bold film.
When the trailer of the film came out with this title, I remember having a jaw drop reaction along with goosebumps by the end of it. What an absolutely brilliant title to come up with that is an evergreen song to begin with and yet a perfect and bold way to title the story. This is where creative genius and perspective meet, giving the viewers an unexpected twist. Director Sherry Chopra Dhar enters the film industry with a risky and frowned upon subject for her maiden directorial venture bringing in heaps of courage but still needs to sharpen her skill set.
At a length of 120 minutes, Ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga is a well-made documentary with a powerful subject and message for the society. However, the pace of the film is ridiculously slow and painfully random. The first half of the film lacks clarity, structure and speed. Characters are introduced yet they lack chemistry as a total cast and therefore the “feel” doesn’t come forth. However, the second half of the film picks up much needed pace and drama with the puzzle pieces coming together and tugging on your emotional strings, leaving an overall decent feeling by the end of the feature presentation. Gazal Dhaliwal who is the story, dialogue and co-screenplay writer along with Dhar has done well keeping the complicated subject as simple as possible but could do better as the flow of scenes seems forced.
Sonam K Ahuja effortlessly depicts the role of a shy, timid yet strong girl who is at constant battle with herself but never once lets the world know of her troubles until she goes to war with them. She has managed to capture the essence of a small-town upbringing in her character along with the strength of a woman who would fight for she believes is normal and right in the hope that no other child growing up should suffer and question their existence, like she had to. Rajkumar Rao plays the starry-eyed boy awestruck in love together with the mature and understanding man beautifully, when he realizes that true love doesn’t always result in a union of two human beings but the happiness of the one you love.
Special mention to Abhishek Duhan who dawns the character of Sweety’s brother resembling the larger society and their ideas about this subject plays his role flawlessly bringing forth authenticity and presence to his character. Regina Cassandra plays Sonam’s Love interest in the film and does well with minimal screen time she has, though the impact is not monumental. The actors that stand out however are Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla mostly because they are brilliant actors to begin with but because their characters have been written beautifully. They have brought their respective characters to life so convincingly that it fills your heart with so much hope and happiness and ultimately stays with you after the movie as they make you smile, laugh and cry with absolute ease.
Coming to the music, with two songs of the film that have been “refurbished” being, ‘Ek ladki ko dekha to aisa laga’ and ‘Gud naal ishq mitha’ both are winners and I prefer them to their originals. This is a first for me and a surprising but melodious change. The added lyrics to both the songs is what makes them superior to their counter parts, in my opinion as the music got the deserved words. So kudos to Rochak Kohli for the music and Gurpreet Saini for the lovely poetry.
Overall a film that will broaden your mind’s horizon only if you allow it to and for that alone it gets to be in my ‘must watch’ list. A courageous step in the right direction to bridge the gap between unawareness and reality requesting you to accept what you cannot change, even if you don’t understand it. A fine effort with a decent execution Ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga is a story that is true and plays out every day in the real world which is why it comes with its own ‘Siyappa’ because if it was easy, it would not make for a good story. A giant step for mainstream Indian cinema and small step for you and your loved ones to learn, accept and allow people to live and let live.
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