Laadla

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!

Laadla only belongs to just one of its principal casts--Sridevi. Sridevi is in this film from the very first frame and she steals the show under everyone's nose. If Sridevi was not in this film, the film would have fallen flat on its face. I guess even the late Divya Bharati (who was the original choice for the role of Sheetal Jetley)wouldn't have pulled off the character with such ease and élan like Sri did.

The way she mouths her dialogues and her signature line "Understand? You better understand!" is just awesome. I guess no other actress would've conveyed the multiple range of emotions with an exaggerated sense. Sridevi turns in a powerhouse performance and the scene where she attacks Farida Jalal (who plays Anil Kapoor's mom) is brilliant. For the first time, I was really scared by a female vampish character in a Hindi film whose piercing eyes spew venom. At this point of her career, Sridevi has risen above all the other actresses of the industry. She hasn't spared a single role that she hasn't experimented with yet.

Well talking about the technical aspects of the film and the film itself , Laadla is not without its share of flaws. A theme like this has been experienced several times in Bollywood. What else can you expect from a director like Raj Kanwar? The cinematography, editing, music and lighting are below par. Anil Kapoor fulfills the role of a typical Bollywood hero. Raveena Tandon does what she is supposed to do. Anupam Kher and Aruna Irani are okay. Prem Chopra and Mohnish Behl ham their asses off throughout the movie. Shakti Kapoor somewhat leaves a mark with his catch line "Tunna tunna." The rest of the cast is not even worth talking about.

If you are a strict Sridevi fan, than Laadla is for you to watch!

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.

Laadla review :

After the colossal failure of his ambitious home production Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993), Anil Kapoor got the much needed hit in form of Laadla. However, the film belonged to Sridevi who walked away with all the accolades for her grey shaded character. Her punchline "You understand. You better understand!!" is still memorable.

Originally planned with Divya Bharti, Laadla was reshot with Sridevi after Divya's untimely death in 1993. Raveena Tandon played second fiddle to Sridevi while Anupam Kher was the comic pappa. Shakti Kapoor had his own catchphrase "Tuna Tuna" even as Prem Chopra- Paresh Rawal - Mohnish Bahl formed the villainous trio.

Anil Kapoor played the dashing mazdoor who ends up marrying his ziddi employer Sridevi and then the drama unfolds..

Anand Milind's compositions - particularly 'Ladki hai kya re baba' and the seductive number 'Dhik Tana na' in which a ravishing Sridevi seduces Anil Kapoor - gained popularity.

Quite massy in approach, Laadla struck the right chord with the audience and emerged a box office hit. In one scene, we see Anil Kapoor and his colleague Ravi Baswani going to watch Khalnayak (1993) at Mumbai's Metro theatre but unable to get in due to massive crowds. Wishful thinking! Unfortunately, Laadla couldnt achieve that kind of success..

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni

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!