Laadla

It is common knowledge that Divya Bharti had canned several scenes (almost 80% of the film) for the film Laadla, which was originally scheduled to release in 1993 but had to be re-shot and ultimately released in 1994, due to the 19 year old actress's untimely death. Sridevi replaced Divya Bharti and the end result was an award worthy and truly memorable performance. There are scenes on youtube, that compare the scenes originally shot with Divya Bharti with the finally released scenes featuring Sridevi. Divya bharti was good. But Sridevi was a class apart. In fact, the Telugu version of the film, starring Naghma did not fare too well at the box office. When asked why, the lead actor Chiranjeevi candidly replied: "Because the Telugu version did not feature Sridevi!" Such was the impact of her near flawless performance.

Laadla is the story of a lower middle class man, Raju (Anil Kapoor) whose day comprises of looking after his handicapped mother and working in a factory run by the power and money obsessed, able businesswoman, Sheetal Jaitely (Sridevi). From the word go, the two can't see each other in the eye. What follows is some comedy, drama, action, song and dance, some more action and all's well that ends well. Laadla is a remake of a successful south film and director Raj Kanwar has done well. Laadla had all the elements of an entertainer ensuring that producer Nitin Manmohan reaped the benefits, despite the film going over-budget(due to the re-shooting).

Performance wise Sridevi is absolutely brilliant. She proved with this film that no one can write her off, given the right script. Laadla was almost tailor made for her. I remember the whistles resounding in the cinema hall as she confronted Anil Kapoor. Anil Kapoor's earnest performance was overshadowed by Sridevi's controlled and believable depiction of the she-devil. Having said that, Anil Kapoor delivered well as Raju. Raveena Tandon did not get much scope, expect showing her thunder thighs in the song, Meri Dhadkan Suno. Paresh Rawal, Prem Chopra, Shakti Kapoor and Monish Behl are the usual villains. Farida Jalal was alright as well. Anupam Kher provided some good laughs. The dialogs by Anees Baazmee deserve a special mention. The dialogs were smart and fun-filled, especially the line "You understand? You better understand!", which went on to become extremely popular. In fact, when one mentions this film, this particular dialog always comes to mind. Raj Kanwar's execution of a few scenes like the one when Sridevi burns her car or when Sridevi slits her wrist is truly praiseworthy.

The music by Anand-Milind topped the charts in 1994. In their trademark style, Anand-Milind delivered hits in Ladki Hain Kya and Boi Boi. 1994 was a good year for the duo and Laadla made sure they maintained their popularity.

Despite its ridiculous climax, Laadla provides wholesome entertainment. The dialogs, the acting, the scenes and the music guarantee paisa vasool entertainment. Go for it!

Sridevi probably first introduced anti-heroine roles in Bollywood as a proud and arrogant businesswoman

The film starts off nicely with Sridevi's intro But raises a question? Anil Kapoor is poor and middle-classed but still manages to arrange to go on an airplane? Also how does he lift a heavy Farida Jalal who is bigger than him?

Direction is good Music is OK especially the Main Raju Deewana song

Anil Kapoor excels in his brilliant role as a hardworking union leader Sridevi rocks all the way Raveena Tandon is OK Anupam Kher is funny Aruna Irani makes good support Farida Jalal does well Prem Chopra is sinister Paresh Rawal is passable Mohnish Behl is alright Shakti Kapoor is passable

If ever someone is daring enough to take an intellectual approach to the history of Hindi films, it will be recorded that "Laadla" was a monumental event in the development of the array of roles enacted by any Indian actress. More than a decade after its release, it remains the most aggressive, anti-establishment, proto-feministic anti-heroine role ever written for a Hindi film. "Laadla" translates to The Beloved Son, and though the film makes it a point to focus on the tender relationship between an ailing elderly mother (Farida Jalal) and her working class son (Anil Kapoor), the film is really about one thing and one thing only: the diabolical and destructive nature of one woman, Sheetal Jetli (Sridevi), a Machiavellian corporate businesswoman who runs her company and family with an absolute iron fist. She is the final and only authority on all matters in which she is involved, and none dare challenge her convictions. Her parents (Anupam Kher and Aruna Irani) cower in her presence, as do the hundreds of employees who populate her various business enterprises. She is constantly browbeating her assistant, Kajal (Raveena Tandon), and is outright loathsome towards her company's second-in-command, Bhandari (Shakti Kapoor), a deceitful partner who wants to see her downfall. The only figure in this cadre of victims who dares to challenge her is an unassuming factory worker, Raj (Anil Kapoor), who sees her stubborn egomania as nothing more than misplaced and unchallenged narcissism. Sheetal and Raj go head-to-head on many issues, but when he does the unthinkable and subordinates her authority, she hatches a plan for revenge. The ultimate revenge, she decides, will not come from the termination of his employment, but from something else altogether: Marriage. Sheetal proposes marriage to Raj, and after a spectacularly manipulative bit of persuading involving Raj's helpless mother, he coalesces and becomes Mr. Sheetal Jetli. This, despite the fact that romance has blossomed between Raj and fellow middle-classer Kajal. The marriage between Sheetal and Raj is realized as a series of masochistic dominations designed to subordinate and break Raj's ego. Sheetal threatens him financially, sexually, and psychologically, and at times Raj is broken, but his spirits are kept up by his relationships with his mother and Kajal. Ultimately, Sheetal's thirst for revenge culminates in her order that Raj be arrested, interrogated and tortured by the police. His mother pleads on his behalf, groveling before Sheetal and imploring her to release him. Sheetal attacks her mother-in-law, causing her to lose her footing and collapse. At that moment, Raj arrives and delivers his final blow against Sheetal, and walks out on her and their mock marriage. At last defeated, Sheetal attempts suicide, but is thwarted by an attempt on her life by her corporate enemies. She is eventually saved by Raj and Kajal, and during recovery promises to start life anew. Amazingly, Raj stays married to Sheetal, who settles into domestic bliss and hands over her company to Kajal. The ending of the film is probably as convoluted as the character Sheetal herself: what is the film trying to say? That women should give up their corporate powers and settle for domesticity? Well, no, because the company is eventually handed over to the much more even-tempered Kajal (probably as a consolation prize for not getting the guy).

"Laadla" is probably best construed as a diatribe against unchecked egomania; the film scores because of the multilateral characterization of Sheetal and the powerhouse performance turned in by Sridevi. Though the film was a huge success at the box-office, it was not a favorite with the masses as it was with critics. The verdict among the intelligentsia was clear: the film works as a character study based on Sridevi's "fatally delicious performance" (Esquire). Raveena Tandon called her character, "Satan captured in female form." Newsweek Asia said, "This is the greatest departure from formula for Indian cinema since the anti-social love story "Lamhe." Kudos to Sridevi and the director Raj Kanwar for taking a real artistic risk." Filmfare called her performance, "Lady Macbeth meets Leona Helmsley: the ultimate she-devil." SCREEN said of Sridevi's performance: "Never has the Indian woman been portrayed as an unsavory demon, so evil and unforgettable is this Satanic Hell Queen." It is interesting that in the year of the record-shattering "Hum Aapke Hain Kaun!" which established the contemporary female archetype as one of mentally arrested passivity, that audiences eagerly lapped up this new wicked and uncompromising anti-heroine. This is undoubtedly testimony to the fact that audiences hold Sridevi to a much higher and diverse standard than other actors. Shah Rukh Khan had been riding the anti-hero wave with two hugely successful films ("Baazigar" and "Darr") but Sridevi was the first actress to tackle the subject with such uncompromising and unapologetic conviction. Sheetal paved the way for a string of new anti-heroines among the younger generation of actresses, including Kajol (Gupt), Juhi Chawla ("Arjun Pandit"), Manisha Koirala (Dil Se, Yugpurush) and Urmila Matondkar (Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya). Sridevi herself would return to the same genre three years later with "Judaai".

This is one of my all time favourite Sridevi movies, because she is not playing the normal heroine. Sri excelles in showing how Indian women can be successful business woman and not just a woman running around trees, she leaves that to Raveena Tandon.

She looks damn good, apart from the one song in which she wears an awful silver outfit, and made an excellent job of taking over Divya Bharti's performance. As normal she works well with Anil Kapoor. The music is good, but the only draw back of this film is the ending. I think it could have been done better.

This is not the usuall run of the mill film, and it left a lot of young impressionable teenagers saying,"You understand, you better understand."

Anil Kapoor plays the sentimental Laadla, and the mind games between him and Sri are a treat to watch. This is Sridevi like you have never seen her before!

I rated this an 8. The movie was too short. Sridevi is Sridevi - an enigma, a legend, I mean once you start watching her, you dont want to stop. She is a complete treat to the eyes - fun to watch; the ultimate entertainer. Raveena doesnt have much to do in this movie. As we all know, Divya Bharati was supposed to do Sridevi's role which is odd b/c Raveena and her would have been on par in term of popularity in those days, so it's unclear if Raveena's role was trimmed down to maximize Sridevi's or if her role was really meant to be this irrelevant. Anil is a good actor as always. There are some nice songs.