Despite the kowtow-to-patriarchy ending, Sridevi was stellar in Laadla. Must confess, was not a huge fan upon initial viewing - hang on before you pelt your stones Sridevi fans - as after the supreme high of Lamhe (be it in acting, dialogues, cinematography, music, choreography), Laadla was a bit of a let-down in execution. It was a little gaudy, it didn't have the polish of Sridevi's previous film.
The music and choreography was just OK, the costumes were a little garish (The silver costume, Tina-Turner wig, the high-camp makeup and the silver-brass Thai dancer nails in Mere Ghulam, Tera Qatal e-aam is a no go), the systematic adherence to patriarchy (the basic man good, headstrong woman bad motif throughout) and the role of the ideal woman shown as a domestic haan-ji yes-sir tiffian-carrying wife is cringe beyond belief, and sure as hell jars now in 2018!
Moving on...
Made after the tragic demise of Divya Bharathi (hence the final edit was a bit hodgepodge), but the OTTness of the movie vs the subtle perfection of Lamhe had us underwhelmed.
Purely on entertainment basis, the movie works. It plays to the gallery - especially the dialogues, the masochism, sexism, there are many scene-stealing moments for the leads and Sridevi and Anil Kapoor are so immensely watchable, no matter what they're doing on film.
Moving on...
Made after the tragic demise of Divya Bharathi (hence the final edit was a bit hodgepodge), but the OTTness of the movie vs the subtle perfection of Lamhe had us underwhelmed.
Purely on entertainment basis, the movie works. It plays to the gallery - especially the dialogues, the masochism, sexism, there are many scene-stealing moments for the leads and Sridevi and Anil Kapoor are so immensely watchable, no matter what they're doing on film.
Sridevi's iconic dialogue ("You understand, you better understand") was repeated so often it could have been a chore... but note, she does it in different ways throughout the film. The scene where she burns down her own car will have you glued to the screen... Its her finest time on film.
The movie was a bona fide hit with the masses, while Lamhe was a class apart. Worth watching for Sridevi and Sridevi alone. She takes over the entire film leaving others in her dust.
The movie was a bona fide hit with the masses, while Lamhe was a class apart. Worth watching for Sridevi and Sridevi alone. She takes over the entire film leaving others in her dust.
Laadla was released theatrically on March 25, 1994. The film grossed ₹11 crore domestically, becoming the seventh highest grossing Hindi film of 1994. Sridevi's performance as Sheetal Jaitley was widely acclaimed and earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
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