Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is the talk of the town, for reasons you should know by now. It is one of the rare mainstream Bollywood movies that depict a same-sex love story without making a mockery of it. With an A-lister like Sonam Kapoor taking that risk, are we seeing Bollywood getting mature in handling such themes? Even the crew of the film is groundbreaking for a Bollywood film. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is directed by a woman (Shelly Chopra Dhar), while it is written by a trans woman (Gazal Dhaliwal). So how far does the movie go in pushing the boundaries? Ek Ladki Ko Dekha toh Aisa Laga Celeb Movie Review: Akshay Kumar, Farah Khan and Karan Johar Give This Love Story a Thumbs Up.

Sahil Mirza (Rajkummar Rao), a failed writer bumps into Sweety (Sonam Kapoor), who was hiding at his theatre from her brother, Babloo (Abhishek Duhan) in Delhi. He is instantly smitten by her and her talks of how love should have siyappa otherwise there is no depth in that love story. A smitten Sahil follows her to her village in Moga, Punjab, thinking he can help her out and woo her in the process.

There he gets to know that she is the daughter of a garment-factory owner, Balbir Chaudhary (Anil Kapoor), who has a passion for cooking. Balbir is told by Babloo that Sweety is in love with a Muslim guy, while confining her within the house. When Sahil hears of this, he thinks she is love with her. Little does he knows that this siyappa is something else, and he has to play a big role in getting this love story to work.

Like everyone else, I have to applaud the makers of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga for bringing same-sex romance out of the closet to the general audiences. For till now, we have only seen homosexual characters getting caricatured in mainstream cinema, while lead actors never dared to play such roles. We all remember the brouhaha over Deepa Mehta's Fire. Then we have Karan Razdan's Girlfriend, when the lead character, who is obsessed with her girlfriend, is shown as a psychopath.

It was Fawad Khan's beautiful performance in Kapoor & Sons that first showed signs that Bollywood is evolving. Now Sonam Kapoor is taking the movement ahead with her portrayal in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. A gutsy move, indeed!

There is a lot to be affected by the story of Sweety's identity crisis and how she wishes to be normal just like everyone else. Being subdued by her elder brother, who knows her secret and thinks of it as a disease, only makes things difficult for her. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is deeply affecting when the film deals with her internal crisis and her shattered dreams of having a life with her love. Box Office Predication: Will Sonam Kapoor Starrer Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga Be the Sleeper Hit of This Year?

The flashback scene that sees Sweety face humiliation in school, when her secret gets accidentally outed, is heart-wrenching. The messaging that when the society is reluctant to accept inter-caste marriage even today, Sweet's love is miles to go to get a blessing, also works. This is also depicted in a subtly funny scene at a gurudwara, where an elderly gentleman is seen frowning when Sweety and Sahil have a friendly, heterosexual hug. Another sequence has Sweety remind her brother that the 'normal' is more of a perception rathen than a state.

But Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga makes it less about her and, instead, have few subplots revolve around her predicament. There is Sahil, who is looked down by his father for not being a good writer. While Rao is good, his character perhaps gets a bit too much of a focus than the one they should have the spotlight on.

Then there is Sweety's father, Balbir, oblivious to her situation, with his own predicament to deal with. The movie tries to compare him not following his dream of becoming a master chef (because his mom insists that the kitchen is for girls) to Sweety's failure to get her love life right. Which is an unfair comparison, to say the least. Balbir also has a separate love track with the exuberant Chatro (Juhi Chawla), that changes his views on inter-caste marriage. The restaurant date scene is quite charming.

Shelly Chopra Dhar has managed to keep good control over making the movie entertaining with these plotlines. With a runtime of just about two hours, it won't even tax on your patience that much. The first half, especially, is quite pleasant, more so because most of the main characters are so endearing. Dhar fills the narrative with enough cutesy moments to win over the general audience, so that the main track is palatable for viewers. Like that cute scene, where Sweety's Daadi blushes on hearing Dev Anand, Joy Mukherji and 'Dharminder''s names.

That said and done, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga SHOULD have been about Sweety, and I got a feeling that she got somewhat of a raw deal. The movie could have fleshed out her love story in a better way, but doesn't. Sonam has way more chemistry with Rao than with Regina Cassandra, who plays her onscreen lover. All, because we only see glimpses of their love story. Why, even the Balbir-Chatro love story feels more effective. I also don't get why the movie needs to take an entire first half (with a very deceptive opening scene) to get to the big 'reveal'. Wasn't it evident in the trailer itself?

Watch the trailer of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga here - 

If the father-daughter bonding was the focus, then the movie also doesn't spend much time there too. In fact, Balbir spends more time running into the kitchen rather than being with her daughter.

The whole 'play' portions in the second half, that Sahil uses to help Balbir accept Sweety for what she is, aren't very effective in execution. Still, I loved the whole 'caged' scene that impacts Balbir who gets a chance to look back at his daughter's past and regret on missing out on protecting her.

The Performances

The two actors who make the most impact in the film are Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao. It was an excellent choice to cast a perennially likeable Anil Kapoor as Sonam's father, because of what he brings to the role. He exudes the warmth and affability needs for the character who loves his daughter but is reluctant to widen his mind. Anil is positively adorable in the scene where he tries to interact with Sahil in Urdu. It is, however, his performance in the climax that wins you over.

Rajkummar Rao's character is the driving force in the film, and the one who perhaps has the maximum footage. If it was anyone else, it would have harmed the film, since the character is an outsider. But Rao's talents in slipping easily into any character and making them wholesome works here big time.

Sonam Kapoor's guts to take on such a role, bold that many may say, has to be appreciated, no doubt. The actress is quite graceful in the scenes that show her silent resilience and torment. However, in the scenes where she has to actively express her emotions, Sonam struggles quite a bit. Still, we hope that this step by Sonam encourages her peers, male and female both, to look beyond conventionality when it comes to roles.

Juhi Chawla's role feels like a filler, as the character doesn't really need to be in the narrative. It is the actress' spunky act, that we have loved to watch so many times, that still work out here. Her chemistry with Anil Kapoor is intact, and lovely. Regina Cassandra is alright in a special appearance of sorts. Abhishek Duhan fits well in the role of Sweety's bullish elder brother. Madhumalti Kapoor, Brijendra Kala and Seema Pahwa are nice.

Yay!

- Anil Kapoor

- Rajkummar Rao

- The Premise

- The Handling

- The Feel-Good Narrative

Nay!

- The Main Love Story Deserved A Bigger Arc

- Sonam's Uneven Performance

- The Drama Portions Don't Really Work

Final Thoughts

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga's premise pushes boundaries by bringing homosexuality out of the closet. What sets the movie a few steps back is that it doesn't really push the boundaries in handling the unusual love story. Still, I would recommend Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga for its feel-good narrative, bold premise and some heart-warming performances from the lead cast.

Rating:3out of 5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 01, 2019 02:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).