Laal Singh Chaddha Review - Aamir Khan Brings A Fulfilling & Advanced Adaptation For Forrest Gump Fans

Aamir Khan has often been called Indian Tom Hanks by netizens, and by remaking Forrest Gump with Laal Singh Chaddha, we can say that he took it seriously. But who's interested in watching an adaptation of a 90s classic in 2022, and that too, in India? That's the biggest question. And how many people actually believe that Forrest Gump deserved the Oscars against The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction? I am not the one. Period. However, I loved the film but never understood the over-hyped atmosphere around it. I know it was probably the first time that the main character goes through several changes throughout his life, which also has cultural references and his journey runs along with the national events, but still, there was something that just didn't make hard-core sense. Didn't Peter Sellers' character Chauncey Gardener in Being There (1979) make more sense than Forrest Gump? Let's just keep the arguments about the Oscars' manipulation aside, and agree that Forrest Gump was a classic but never a better film than The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction. Aamir Khan took almost 3 decades to make the adaptation, which fulfils all the criteria but is too late, honestly. Aamir had remade many Hollywood classics in the 90s, and guess what? None of them have been as successful as his films made after the year 2000. With Laal Singh Chaddha the same can be said again? Let's wait for the box office numbers to come in.Laal Singh Chaddha is about Laal, a slow-witted, kind-hearted man who has seen almost everything in life. Like Gump, Laal also goes through similar national events which are transformed from America to India. Right from Sikh Riots in his childhood, Indira Gandhi Assassination, Babri Masjid, Bombay Blast, Rathyatra, Kargil War, Rupa Baniyan, Anna Hazare, 2007 Mumbai Attacks to short but sweet appearance of Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Laal Singh Chaddha covers almost every big event that occurred in the county in the last 4 decades. While Gump's story showed American culture, Laal's adapted world is fully Indian and pure. Unlike Jenny's brutal, impure nature, Laal's Rupa (Kareena Kapoor) is much more gentle and relatable. We all know about the casting couch in Bollywood and the underworld connect, so we relate to her character very well. His army friend, Bala (Naga Chaitanya), is a typical South Indian with business-minded thoughts, and that also helps Laal's journey in a big way. There are many changes in the events and the characters, and they work just fine if you ever consider the fact that Yes, Forrest Gump can be remade in some other country with their own culture, traditions, and customs.Atul Kulkarni has written a smart script for Laal Singh Chaddha. He proved that even difficult jobs like adopting a universally acclaimed classic can be done with useful tactics and a little bit of brain. The humour is quite difficult to understand, especially for the masses who are not aware of Gump's tale and even with many national events that took place in our own country. I could sense that while watching the screening with friends who belong to the league of masses and have never heard of Forrest Gump. Okay, so what's the motive for making this film? to recreate the original classic or to show our audience that even Bollywood can make a good remake of a globally popular flick. The writers and makers can give intellectual answers to it, but believe me, nobody is interested in knowing it. Especially in today's time when even good Bollywood films are struggling at the box office. It would have been better if Aamir had made this film in the mid-2000s, when he was emerging as the king of content with films like Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par, and 3 Idiots. But yes, it's a fact that Forrest Gump couldn't have gotten a better adaptation than this, even though most of them didn't ask for it.Coming to performances, let's just forget the original flick for a while and look at Laal Singh Chaddha as a fresh film because acting cannot be remade. Aamir Khan is an actor of a certain calibre, and he likes to set a new variety every time. With Laal Singh Chaddha, he sets a new bar for himself. You can't imagine anybody else playing an Indian Gump other than him. For a while, the resemblance of Dhoom 3 and PK bothers you, but soon he creates his own phenomena and you become immersed in his world. If anybody could have portrayed Tom Hanks' role in India, then it was only Aamir. Kareena Kapoor looks gorgeous in her young years and continues to shine even in her later years. Her expressions in some depressing scenes are impressive, while her sensitive skin, with those reddish cheeks and nose, adds a little more impact. Bala looks very funny, and Naga Chaitanya portrays his character in a very chubby manner. You feel like touching his cheeks in some moments. Sally Field played a mother who loves her son unconditionally and always encourages him. Mona Singh fits perfectly into the role and how. You start loving her from the first scene and she keeps you hooked on her character till the end of her role. The supporting cast of Manav Vij, Ahmad Ibn Umar, and Aaryaa Sharma are good in small roles, whereas Shah Rukh Khan's cameo will lift the noise in the auditorium.I always say that the only thing Indian movies do better than Hollywood movies is music. Laal Singh Chaddha has a soul-stirring album composed by the chartbuster machine, Pritam. Every song in the LSC is a treat to the ears. Amitabh Bhattacharya's lyrics will improve your vocabulary. Laal Singh Chaddha is a long film, about 165 minutes long, so you know it's a slow film. So was Forrest Gump. But this one is 25 minutes longer because of the songs and some other additional changes. The film starts on a slow note, just like the train leaving the platform, and then shifts gears after 15-20 minutes. The second half also starts slowly and ends on a slow note, but the middle portion is engaging. The editing could have been better, but it is difficult to say which part was to be removed.With just two films in his wallet, Advait Chandan has become one of the smartest newcomers in the field. His detailing in Secret Superstar was commendable, but he never made films for the masses. That's why Secret Superstar didn't do a huge business in India but emerged as a blockbuster in China. The same goes with Laal Singh Chaddha. His vision of looking at the Indian adaptation of a culturally and aesthetically classic film is simply beautiful. However, he forgets to look at commercial aspects. Laal Singh Chaddha will not make the masses happy, and we know that Forrest Gump is not a film that can work for the masses. Advait has made a beautiful adaptation that works for only Forrest Gump fans, who know all the details of its screenplay, historical events, and cultural references. Others can go in, finish their popcorn, and come out with no fun. Laal Singh Chaddha might attract urban audiences, but will most likely fail to connect with the masses who contribute the most when it comes to the ground level world of word of mouth. As a whole, it's a Forrest Gump adaptation done well, but who asked for a 90s flick's remake in 2022? A well-made film drops on the wrong occasion but will make an impact on classes and real critics. This is the second best thing in Bollywood after Jhund from whatever we have seen so far.