Laal Singh Chaddha is the official Bollywood remake of Robert Zemeckis’ 1994 Best Picture winner, Forrest Gump, this time directed by Advait Chandan and adapted by Atul Kulkarni (notable for being his first produced script, having already made a name for himself as an actor), taking more from the original film as opposed to the Winston Groom novel it’s based on. Aamir Khan produces under his production company, and takes on the titular role. For anyone who somehow doesn’t know the setup, the film follows a man with an undiagnosed developmental disorder recounting his life story to a stranger. But as insufferable as that sounds, his life happens to be a what’s what of numerous historical events and cultural milestones.
The differences this time around are fairly self-explanatory and expected given the cultural switch up. Laal Singh Chaddha is a Sikh man, and the film explores his life bumbling through various moments in Indian history from the end of The Emergency period in the late 70s to his involvement in the Kargil War in 1999, and even smaller things like witnessing the first Indian cricket world cup win in 1983 or unwittingly teaching a stranger his favorite dance move, which will ultimately become a future Bollywood megastar’s signature pose. All this is experienced while Laal pines for the affections of his ambitious childhood love, Rupa (Kareena Kapoor).
I really like Forrest Gump, but I’m also aware that its politics, and affectionate look at a nostalgic portrait of Americana is at best problematic and at worst profoundly regressive, and that’s not even mentioning the portrayal of mental illness and the treatment of Jenny, it’s only ambitious and free-spirited female character who just ends up being a thematic punching bag. With Laal Singh Chaddha, the changes make the politics more palatable and relevant, even if some of the execution is a bit sloppy, though some of the inherent aspects of the story, such as the portrayal of Laal’s disorder and the direction of Rupa’s life are still present to a certain extent.
The changes made here are fascinating, and in some cases, improve on the thematic dynamics compared to the original. Having Laal be a Sikh man, especially one growing up post-Emergency and through the anti-Sikh period following Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination pits him as an individual with a target on his back, he is a part of a vulnerable minority in India, and some of the violence that we witness can’t help but feel like a subtle aommentary to the continuing communal violence we’ve sadly seen coming up too often recently, especially with the rise of Modi (who Aamir – a Muslim – has been critical of in the past) and other figures in the recent wave of right wing Hindu nationalism movement.
This change in dynamics does shift the original film’s unflinching faith in American institutions into something a bit more complex. Although, it does ultimately come short of addressing some of the more recent attacks on vulnerable communities, keeping it mostly in subtext and metaphor as opposed to a direct confrontation. There is still a lot more going on than meets the eye, especially in how it explores faith, nationalism, and forgiveness. The reinterpretation of Lieutenant Dan in this film, who comes in the form of Manav Vij’s Mohammed Paaji, genuinely took me by surprise. While a moment with him does allow for some of that classic Bollywood nationalism to rear its head in, the overall intent of this take is genuinely bold and I’m surprised they went this direction.
In terms of Rupa, the film devotes a bit more screentime to her experiences, and it can feel a bit “Meanwhile, back at the ranch” at times with how it’ll cut away for a moment or a scene. However, her journey is interesting as the theme of abuse and trauma is a common element that comes through. From her childhood with her abusive father, to ending up as an associate with a crime lord who pulls strings in Bollywood, it’s compelling to watch it all unfold. It softens the punishing and tragic aspect of Jenny in the original, where it felt like the film actively punished her for being forward thinking, for being against the grain, trying to be ambitious, and have agency. Whereas here, she’s more a victim of circumstance, and the film points the finger at a society that can’t be open minded enough to allow someone like her to fully express herself.
But of course, we have to talk about the star of the picture himself. Aamir Khan delivers a powerful performance, and he plays well off his co-stars like Kapoor, Naga Chaitanya Akkineni (who plays the Bubba equivalent, Bala), and Mona Singh (who plays Laal’s mother). I did take issue with some of his ticks, such as the bug-eyed look, which usually comes along with a weird grin and a hum or a chuckle to himself. It’s a mode he’s utilized in other roles that feature similar characters, and it was more off-putting than charming. Thankfully, it doesn’t come up often enough to ruin the overall experience, and his performance in the more emotionally driven scenes is superb.
I was taken aback by how affected I was by Laal Singh Chaddha. It’s a deeply moving film that had me tearing up at numerous points, despite always knowing where the story was generally going. It’s also a finely crafted film, aside from some iffy de-aging effects. Obviously, Chandan is no Zemeckis, and he seems aware that the digital trickery of the original film is no longer impressive, so they really emphasize the emotions that are driving the narrative, and it really works for the most part. I can also appreciate just how much on-location shooting they did, going to over a hundred locations around the country, showcasing the beauty of the country in ways we – mostly in the west – don’t often get to see. Ironically, as much as the film’s connection to an American classic like Forrest Gump would theoretically make this more accessible, I would imagine it would be difficult for someone with little knowledge of Indian history to grasp the context of some of the sequences presented in the film, but it’s one that I think is still worth seeing if you have any curiosity. As to whether one is better than the other, I can’t fully commit, but it is hard to beat the original’s soundtrack. Still it’s a fascinating experiment, and it’s an experiment that I think paid off.
Laal Singh Chaddha is now out in theaters.