1994 saw the release of an American movie that would go on to become a classic and a go-to for decades to come. Indeed, it was the Tom Hanks starrer Forrest Gump. The movie was lauded for the feel-good, almost fantastical story, seamless integration of some key historical events, and a heartfelt performance from Tom Hanks. More than 20 years later, we have Advait Chandan’s Laal Singh Chaddha, starring Aamir Khan in the titular role, bringing forth an Indian adaptation of the 90s movie.
Like the original film, Laal Singh Chaddha tells the story of its dim-witted and possibly autistic titular character as he recollects key events in his life to absolute strangers on a train. Through his retelling, we see some of the most critical events in modern Indian history unfold from Laal’s unique perspective. How Laal reached the present day while facing discrimination and disdain daily and yearning for his childhood sweetheart, Rupa, forms the crux of the movie.
Laal Singh Chaddha is a faithful adaptation of Forrest Gump. Those who have watched the 1994 movie will pick up the scene-by-scene adaptation and sometimes translated dialogues in the Aamir starrer. However, Atul Kulkarni, the screenplay writer, added much-needed Indian context, allowing the Indian audience to connect with the story. A good example of this would be the use of the Golgappa analogy in place of the box of chocolates in the original film. The result is a movie that tells the story from an Indian perspective.
Apart from the Indianisation of Forrest Gump’s storyline, what stands out in Laal Singh Chaddha is its mesmerizing cinematography by Satyajit Pande. The shots from Laal’s country-wide marathon capture the essence of the locations used, creating a beautiful visual representation of the character’s journey. Adding to the beauty of these shots are the soulful voices of Arijit Singh, Sonu Nigam, Shadaab Faridi, Altamash Faridi, and Mohan Kannan, singing meaningful lyrics penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya and music composed by Pritam.
Kareena Kapoor’s Rupa, the Indian version of Forrest Gump’s Jenny, however, is the marvel of Laal Singh Chaddha, along with child actor Ahmad Ibn Umar. Unlike Jenny from the original film, Rupa has more depth and soul and a separate character arc in the Advait Chandan directorial. We see her story told not just through Kapoor’s acting but also through the costumes she wore and news headlines. Umar, who plays the young Laal in the film, puts forth a convincing performance, encapsulating the innocence of his character and capturing your attention in the process.
What becomes the downfall of the 164-minute movie is how it stuck to the philosophy and elements of Forrest Gump, repeating the same superficial narration (and occasionally skipping) the modern historical events in the original. Some forced character narratives didn’t help the case either. Moreover, Aamir’s portrayal of the adult Laal leaves much to be desired as we get a mash of his characters from PK and Secret Superstar until the film's last few minutes. The Bollywood version of Punjabi only adds to the almost caricaturish portrayal of the adult Laal.
For all its faults, Laal Singh Chaddha is a decent adaptation of the original. While it didn’t realise the potential of adding more Indian elements, the film did have some creative choices that made the storytelling and overall experience slightly more impactful. If you can look past some hammy performances, Laal Singh Chaddha is worth a watch this weekend.