After being a critical and commercial success in its theatrical run, the much-awaited OTT release of ‘Laapata Ladies’ is finally here. The Kiran Rao directorial has been unequivocally loved by everyone and has been called one of the most important movies of recent times. In addition to being a satire on the ingrained patriarchy within us, it also deals with themes like feminism, identity, choices, and freedom of expression of women. We watched it again upon its arrival on Netflix and the second viewing made us appreciate the nuances of the movie even more.
Here we list down some of our favorite moments and dialogues from the movie that made us laugh, sob, and most importantly introspect the privileges we are ignorant of, just because we belong to a certain gender, class, or society.
1. Manju Maai didn’t just make Phool question her idea of self, but all of us
2. Although the movie is set in 2001, the ‘fraud’ is, sadly, still prevalent
3. Perhaps the world will always be afraid of women who realize what they are capable of
4. Ghoonghat doesn’t just veil the face, but also the future
5. A simple instance showed how rare it is for women to be appreciated for their skills, so much so that they have accepted it as the norm
6. Women let go of so many things for other’s likings that they forget what they like
7. Well, this seemed like a direct call out to a certain director
8. A single scene with no particular dialogue which conveyed so much
9. The way Maai turned her loneliness into solitude
10. It was not just Phool who was confined to the chaar-deewaari of her ghar, it was her thoughts as well
11. The way art and friendship gave Poonam her expression again
12. The tender moment when Deepak’s mother tried breaking a few age-old barriers
13. Sometimes one has to be lost to truly find who they are
Kiran’s movie doesn’t talk about drastic changes like Phool doesn’t straight away go and open her own shop rather it is hopeful about the little progress in everyone’s character, all growing towards a better tomorrow.