Laal Singh Chaddha
- Director
- Advait Chandan
- Studio
- Aamir Khan ProductionsViacom18 StudiosParamount Pictures
- Release Date
- 10 August 2022
- Running Time
- 159 min
- Language
- Hindi
- Country
- India
- Budget
- ₹180.00 Cr
- Box Office
- ₹130.00 Cr
Review
Aamir Khan's casting as Laal Singh Chaddha is simultaneously the film's greatest asset and most glaring limitation. He brings earnest vulnerability to a character who could easily become a caricature, and there are genuine moments where his physical performance—the gait, the mannerisms—sells the struggle convincingly. However, Advait Chandan's direction often prioritizes sentiment over substance, turning what could have been a razor-sharp character study into a meandering nostalgia fest that mistakes historical backdrop for thematic depth. The '83 World Cup, the Indira Gandhi assassination, the Khalistan movement—these aren't integrated into Laal's journey; they're merely set dressing. The film wants to have it both ways: tell us this is about an underdog transcending limitations while simultaneously using national tragedy as emotional wallpaper.
The larger problem is structural. The train-bound framing device, while clever on paper, becomes tedious as it stretches across nearly three hours. Mona Singh's mother character is given a few powerful scenes early on, but the film squanders the Laal-Rupa dynamic by keeping them perpetually at arm's length, turning their relationship into abstract longing rather than concrete drama. Kareena Kapoor does what she can with an underwritten female lead, but the script fails to give her agency beyond being Laal's emotional reference point. Where the film succeeds—in quiet moments of genuine tenderness, in the specificity of Punjabi life—i
Storyline
So I just watched this wild film about this Sikh guy named Laal who's got this incredible spirit despite dealing with physical disabilities from childhood. His mom is basically a superhero—working herself to the bone just to get him into school—and she fills his head with this belief that he can do anything. He meets this girl Rupa early on who becomes his anchor, and watching him grow up against all these massive historical moments happening in India is pretty gripping. There's this moment where he's just a kid watching the '83 Cricket World Cup on TV, and you can feel how these big events shape who he becomes.
What blew my mind is how the film shows Laal discovering this insane gift for running—like, it comes out of nowhere when he's basically just running away from his bullies. Next thing you know, this physically limited kid is making it to this prestigious college in Delhi based on pure athletic talent. Meanwhile, Rupa's chasing her own dreams in the modeling world, and their connection becomes this complicated, layered thing that keeps pulling at you throughout the film.
The whole movie is told like he's on a train through Punjab just spilling his guts to random people about his life, and it's such a brilliant way to frame it. You get this sense that even though Laal might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, he's lived through more meaningful moments and grown in bigger ways than most people ever will. It's genuinely touching without being saccharine, if that makes sense.