What’s in the name ? Well, suddenly a film’s title with ‘Laapata’ attracts aesthetic senses from past experience. If an OTT releases it with rave reviews, better still ! Despite simple earthiness of the film’s trailer, it wouldn’t get overlooked by us, because ‘Small B’ has been Bollywood’s finest actors, without perks of big breaks. It’s monumentally tough for him being under shadows of the living legend ‘Big B’!
Yet on the heels of a stunningly off-beat role as the beleaguered, alcoholic Cricket Coach in‘Ghoomer’ here’s Abhishek as an old, disheveled man, prone to amnesia, delivering one of his most controlled and thoughtful performances. It ranges from a helpless bewilderment on being abandoned by his own family to the awe and excitement of rediscovering the joy of living with a young amazing new friend. He underplays it without any over-the-top histrionics, aided by a brilliant script, a sparkling child co-star and pithy yet witty one-liners and satirical dialogues.
There’s simplicity, sincerity and depth to the film’s tale that will journey us back to the heartrending short stories we loved in our early years of writers like Guy De Maupassant, Munshi Premchand & Sarat Chandra. It carries the pathos of losing one’s own and pain of failed relationships but then shifts to the quiet beauty of life that brings out the values of bonding, friendship, compassion and sacrifice.
One other Small B’s (Boy’s) performance stands out in this masterful film like a beacon of hope and promise. Young Daivik Baghela who plays effervescent ‘Ballu’ is outstanding, wise beyond his years,acting as a perfect foil to reticent Kaalidhar. His performance is very natural and moving and his scenes give the film whole lot of emotional depth. The bond between him and Abhishek, feels real and touching.
Zeeshan Ayub in the supporting cast and Nimrat Kaur in a heartwarming cameo, lend credibility to the belief that alongside greed, caprice, selfishness that exists in some people, there are those also, on whom their goodness shines like a halo. No spoilers on the ending but the film will touch the heart and make us feel good.
Working on Living 