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Laal Singh Chaddha Movie Review: The legacy of Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump is not an ordinary one. Just like how the film told an extraordinary story about an extraordinary man, the film itself has gone through quite the journey in the pop culture sphere. With the story of Forrest and Jenny touching the hearts of many back in 1994, now almost 28 years later this classic of Robert Zemeckis has been remade through the vision of Aamir Khan and Advait Chandan. The results? Well, not “all izzz well” with Laal Singh Chaddha, but it still packs enough punch that the original film is honoured in a respectful way. Laal Singh Chaddha First Reviews Out! Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Forrest Gump Remake ‘Stands on Its Own’, Say Critics.
Directed by Advait Chandan and from a script by Atul Kulkarni, Laal Singh Chadda is a remake of Forrest Gump. The movie follows Laal Singh Chaddha (Aamir Khan), a dim-witted boy who goes on a journey experiencing some of India’s biggest historical moments and achieving extraordinary feats that makes him larger than life. Within that we have a blooming romance with Rupa (Kareena Kapoor Khan), Laal’s childhood friend, and the movie very much focuses on that aspect in the same way Forrest Gump did with Jenny (Robin Wright) and Tom Hanks’ titular hero.
Khan and Kapoor’s duo is an instant hit. These actors have showcased their impeccable chemistry before in 3 Idiots, and here again, the chemistry elevates the movie. The pair makes their scenes a compelling watch, sometimes, heart-wrenching, and at times, feel like a kick in the gut. Where the problem lies, though, is in the performance of Aamir Khan.
While there are moments where the actor has to be a bit more grounded and showcase emotions, he soars like a plane in the sky, but unfortunately those moments are very limited. Throughout the movie I felt that Aamir was portraying the same character he played from PK, and it just didn’t work. Where Hanks was more subtle with portrayal of Forrest, Khan goes way overboard with his expressions (the trailers did warn us of it, and sadly, the film doesn't change the opinion much) and his performance doesn’t come out as effective as it should have been. One could make an argument that you’re trying to stand apart from the original portrayal, however why even try that when a perfect blueprint is already there. As a matter of fact, Ahmad Ibn Umar who portrayed Young Laal was able to emulate Hanks better than Aamir was.
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The supporting cast, thankfully, elevates the movie. Mrs Chaddha’s emotionally charged story was portrayed wonderfully by Mona Singh who became an instant standout. Might just add her into my list of best movie moms. In the same way, Naga Chaitanya’s Bala was an amazing addition who took the place of Bubba from the first film and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Rupa was a treat to watch in the way she honored Wright’s Jenny with her own take. Manav Vij’s Mohammad Paaji is also a surprise while underutilised, and an effective cameo from Shah Rukh Khan makes for a crowd-pleasing moment.
The story of Laal Singh Chaddha is where things start running into trouble again. Just like Aamir’s performance, there are moments of excellence and tear-jerking moments here, but those are layered under a rather loud portrayal that lets go all the subtlety of the original.
The first half was when the movie was at its best where we went across from some of the bleakest moments in history of our nation to Laal coming into his own. The second half, though, loses track of itself and creates for a muddled viewing where some topics are not handled well or are breezed through. Thankfully, the third act picks itself up in the final few moments and closes the film on a poignant note.
While the themes did have a payoff to them and the jokes were funny, Laal Singh Chaddha also tries way too hard to capture the magic of Forrest Gump. There are ditto recreations of certain scenes and in others, they try to do add their own twist. In both the cases, they often fail more than succeed. Aamir Khan Talks About ‘Boycott Laal Singh Chaddha’ Controversy, Says ‘If I Have Hurt Anyone by Any Means, I Regret It’.
What keeps the entire thing going though is the passion that does ooze into the screen. It’s very clear that those behind the camera have tonnes of respect for Forrest Gump. When certain moments are supposed to hit, they do hit. It’s also beautifully shot by Satyajit Pande who captures vivid and powerful images through the camera. The songs by Pritam and score by Tanuj Tiku are also bright enough where they elevated many scenes and had me tearing up.
Yay!
Supporting Cast
Emotionally Charged
Nay!
Movie Lacks Subtlety
Aamir Can Be Hit or Miss
Final Thoughts
Is Laal Singh Chaddha worth watching? Absolutely, though there are times where 'missed potential' is a re-occurring thought. Still overcoming those odds, watching this story that is ultimately about empathy and being the best of what we can be as humans was definitely rewarding. Laal Singh Chaddha is playing in theatres now.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 11, 2022 11:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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