Divya
Anurag Basu‘s latest stars interesting actors in hardcore roles who prove that ‘life is ludo, and ludo is life’ makes perfect sense.
‘Ludo’ is all a game in the form of a thrilling film which will make you laugh, cry and fall in love with all the actors’ stories.
Directed by: Anurag Basu
Run Time: 2h 30m
Ratings: 4.5/5
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanya Malhotra, Rajkummar Rao, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Pankaj Tripathi, Pearle Maaney, Rohit Saraf
Storyline
Storyline? The highlight of the film is that you, as a viewer, can enjoy not just one or two but five different stories at the same time. ‘Ludo’ is a madhouse filled with characters from different worlds who somehow manage to collide and form one hilariously melancholic story instead of five different ones.
The film kicks off with Sattu (Pankaj Tripathi) firing shots off at a builder but with the turn of events, Pinky (Fatima Sana Shaikh) falls into a mess as her husband is blamed for the case. Aloo (Rajkummar Rao), who considers Pinky his jaaneman is always by her side during the crisis.
A couple of lights… camera… actions later, Bittu (Abhishek Bachchan), who happens to be Sattu’s former sidekick, gets out of jail and is all set to find his estranged wife (Asha Negi) and daughter. However, when things don’t go as planned, Bittu finds himself drawn to a little girl (Inayat Verma) whom he takes care of as his own child.
Drifting away from the gangster lifestyle in the film, the next part welcomes the bride-to-be Shruti (Sanya Malhotra) and the hilarious ventriloquist Akash (Aditya Roy Kapur) who are on the hunt for the hotel that leaked a lewd tape of the two. On that journey, they stumble across Rahul (Rohit Saraf) and Sreeja (Pearle Maaney) who are fleeing away from Sattu’s goons.
The conflict of a lifetime
The film somehow manages to interconnect the lives of every single person in a way only Anurag Basu can. The plot twists are hysterical and bizarre, one might only be able to imagine how the genius director has managed to connect all the dots.
Initially, all the stories look like they are going to have their perfect love story ending and yes, even the gangsters. However, later on into the film we are introduced to twists and turns (literally) with either someone falling off a bridge or getting hit by a huge vehicle.
Many conflicts are introduced which makes the film have that momentary pressing vibe but then it’s back to the fun and games. Overall, the story is more than what was expected after the trailer which makes it even more pleasing. You’re left with wanting more and the two and a half hours aren’t enough for this hilarious ensemble.
Acting
We can’t stress this enough but every single character was at the top of their game. Pankaj Tripathi was the most adorable gangster with his gun’s leg strap while Abhishek Bachchan was the one whom out hearts broke for. Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanya Malhotra were couple goals even though they weren’t together and their characters made us fall in love with their story even more.
Pearle Maaney, the Malayalam speaking princess was a sight for sore eyes after her nurse to diva transformation and Rohit Saraf was quiet but his silence made us love him in the film. As for Rajkummar Rao, can we ever get enough of him? Rao’s character in the film proves that he is one of the industry’s most versatile actor and Fatima Sana Shaikh only compliments his role further with her impeccable mommy character.
Hit or Miss?
A complete HIT! ‘Ludo’ is a sixer and is definitely a film that can be rewatched for the laughs, the cries and the boredom kill.
