Ludo – Review

There are a few filmmakers in Bollywood who can do madcap like Anurag Basu. Like is ludo, and ludo is life, declares a character in Basu’s latest and the game begins. The declaration comes with an invitation to observe a bunch of characters criss-crossing, sometimes closely, sometimes tangentially and to see where they fetch up to the beat of that lovely old Bhagwan dada song – o beta ji, o babuji, kismet ki hawa kabhi garam, kabhi naram.

Now let’s talk about the cast and their roles in the movie. First up, the local mob boss Sattu Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi) and his former associate Bitto (Abhishek Bachchan). Then, there are stand-up comic Akash (Aditya Roy Kapur) and have-groom-will-marry about-to-be-bride Shruti (Sanya Malhotra). Next, we see part-time restauranter, full-time Mithun fan Alok urf Aloo (Rajkummar Rao), and the love of his life Pinky (Sana Saikh). Then, there are small-town fella Rahul (Rohit Saraf), and sweet-nurse-on-the-run Sreeja (Pearl Maaney). I loved all of the characters my if you ask me my favourite from the movie I will say Rajkummar Rao. His acting skills are just amazing.

In this kind of film where you are meant to expect the unexpected, bizarre twists segue into crazy turns. And there are several spots which do the needful: of special note is the go-bananas sequence in which a ‘epicentre of local crime’ blows up and the consequences of the blast ripple out. A fairly sharp comic set with takedowns of ‘Godi’ media, and the conjugating of cows and vote and an absolute corker which involves crane and a hospital bed. I won’t give anything more away but someone in the writer’s team, read the last bit, has clearly read their Modesty Blaise.

Some of this ensemble cast give a high degree of amusement. Tripathi the don, gun strapped on high on thigh, is on top of this game, and although right about now is a good time for him to start breaking out the permanent criminal-mobster trap. Rajkummar Rao steals my heart away all over again, his role, a hopeless aashiq who is an emosional phool, is a beauty and he does full justice to it. There are some moments in there ‘we know but they don’t know that they are made for each other’ track, that Roy Kapur and Sanaya fill. There is also the guy who is having it off with another woman but expects his wife to rescue him from troubles. He is a good one.

In this time of corona, the virus finding an honourable mention in the movie, we could do with some fun and games, even if it slackens in bits. The perky musical interludes tell a story of their own. A six can be a nine and yes a strike can take you straight to the gates of heaven.

Overall, the movie is nice. I loved the movie, its characters and the part played by the actors.

Our Rating: (4.5 / 5)

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