Bollywood Gump absorbing adaptation
Laal Singh Chaddha (M, 159 mins) Directed by Advait Chandan Reviewed by James Croot ★★★ 1⁄
2 In Hindi with English subtitles
Life is now a tray of fried pastries, ‘‘Jenny’’ wants to be a Bollywood star and ‘‘Bubba’’ is obsessed with underwear, rather than shrimp.
Those are just some of the changes featured in this intriguing and entertaining Hindi adaptation and contemporary update of Oscarwinning 1994 movie Forrest Gump.
But despite transplanting the action from Greenbow, Alabama, to Pathankot in the Punjab and starting the story in the early-1980s (where Gump finished), rather than the mid-1950s, many of the comedic and dramatic beats that made Robert Zemeckis’ trawl through a turbulent time in America’s history such a crowdpleaser, are still present and correct.
Recounting his life to fellow passengers on a second-class, nonair conditioned compartment on a train between Pathankot and Chandigarh, the eponymous Laal Singh Chaddha (Aamir Khan) traces his journey from caliper-clad farm boy to university track star, war hero, business magnate and inspirational long-distance runner.
He also constantly cites the influence and wise counsel of his beloved solo mother (Mona Singh) and his undying, but seemingly unrequited love for his ‘‘best and only friend’’, the ambitious, but troubled Rupa D’Souza (Kareena Kapoor).
Laal is witness to important moments in his country’s story, from their first World Cup Cricket victory in 1983 to the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
Here though, the digital insertions into archival footage are minimal and his influence on others is limited to teaching Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan his signature dance move.
However, shorn of such distractions, the drama resonates a touch better than Gump. Rupa’s nightmarish childhood is more explicitly laid out and Mama Chaddha is a far more powerful presence than Sally Field’s underwritten character.
And while her edict that ‘‘your tummy may be full, but your heart always craves more’’ is just as flaky as, ‘‘you never know what you’re going to get’’, she at least tempers that with far more practical advice to help her ‘‘special’’ boy stay alive – and thrive.
It helps that Singh and Kapoor deliver terrific performances, while the young Laal (Ahmad Ibn Umar) and Rupa (Hafsa Ashraf) are quite brilliant and Maniv Vij is a scene-stealer as this film’s equivalent of Lieutenant Dan (how he and Laal meet is one of this version’s welcome surprises).
Unfortunately, their good work is somewhat undermined by Khan’s rather broad performance in the title role.
While an engaging presence in the train-set frame-tale, his youthful Laal feels far more inspired by Mr Bean than Tom Hanks’ Gump. There’s just too much bug-eyed gurning and physical shtick that detract from the more heartfelt moments.
It’s a pity because, even at almost 160 minutes (17 minutes longer than Gump), this is a wellpaced, absorbing adaptation. It just needed a little more tonal consistency and nuance.
Laal Singh Chaddha is now screening in select cinemas.