A film worth watching, not worth remembering.
Ludo, a film directed by one of India’s most favoured directors, is a unique take on the screwball comedy genre, but also a heavily flawed one. I commend the efforts, the idea and a few aspects of the movie, but it is definitely not going down as one of the best films I have seen in 2020.
Based on the same concept as the famous board game we all have played at some point in our lives; 4 players play their turns one by one, the rolling of the dice decides the next move made by each player. Just like the 4 players, there are 4 stories, taking place in tandem with each other. The film jumps between each story, somewhat like how players take turns to make their move in a classic ludo game.
The yellow part of the board is occupied by Akash, a struggling middle-class entertainer and ventriloquist. He will rekindle his feelings for a supposed fling, Shruti, after a lewd video of theirs goes viral on the internet.
From the red corner is the angry young man, Bitoo. Just released from jail, his first instinct is to go and seek out his young daughter. However, as things play out Bittoo goes through his own journey of endearment toward someone else, all in the process of realizing the meaning of true love.
Rahul, with a personality as plain as his name, pairs up with an estranged nurse, Shreeja. They somehow chance upon a bag full of cash, enough to set them up for life.
Rajkumar Rao’s character occupies the green part of the board. Pinky has been his childhood love, and he has been simping for her, almost his whole life. After her husband is wrongfully accused of murder, She will seek out the only person she knows, can't say no to her.
But before we are introduced to any of these characters, we meet the dice of the game. Sattu Bhaiya a feared don and criminal, who murders a man in the very first scene of the film, in a very bizarre fashion. All the aforementioned stories revolve around him and are directly affected by his presence and actions. The shakeup he brings to the story is akin to that of a dice, moving things along.
The film starts off solid, building interest as it goes. However, somewhere in the middle, the film started becoming a bit of a drag for me. Yes, the carefully composed scenes with all the 4 colours being used to invoke emotions and character agency are worth giving credit. However, they are not astounding to a level where weak character development, a disjointed plot, and other goof-ups can be forgiven.
Some characters like Fatema Shaikh’s Pinky are downright unlikeable. She constantly uses Aaloo (Rajkumar Rao), as a tool, as a means to an end, throughout the movie. And at the end, when she realizes that her husband wasn't worth all the trouble, she goes back to Aaloo, and he accepts her with open arms. His character doesn’t grow or learn from his experiences, he just stays the same, despite all the mind games and manipulation, Aaloo returns to his Pinky.
Another example is Sanya Malhotra’s character, a clear cut gold digger (for the lack of a better word) who measures the worth of the men she dates with the size of their wallets and constantly belittles Aditya Roy Kapur’s character throughout their story. Even though her arc is fulfilling and she changes her tune by the end, it is at the expense of Akash’s arc. He is forced by the writer to put up with the disrespect and to only seek out Shruti as his life partner.
Nonetheless, these two arcs were at the very least entertaining to watch. However, the same cannot be said for Rahul and Shreeja's arc or the “blue” arc. This came off as completely unnecessary and forced. Whenever the plot came back to what these two were doing, I’d wish for it to be over soon and we can get back to the more interesting aspects. The saving grace of this arc is Sattu’s direct involvement and his unlikely pair up with Shalini Vatsa's character, right in the middle of the film. I found myself rooting for the guy despite all of his horrible acts. But then again, maybe that’s just Pankaj Tripathi and his incomparable skill in the game.
By far the most fulfilling and the most enjoyable arc of the film is Abhishek Bacchan’s. His quest for redemption after befriending a little girl and the realization of what it means to love someone is endearing and heartwarming. Abhishek Bacchan surprisingly fits the role Bitoo very well and conveys a range of complex emotions with subtle expression and body language. His relationship with Mini can be called the best dynamic of the film.
As the film nears it’s ending the screwball part of it starts to kick in, all the different stories are about to collide, brilliantly displayed as the distinct colours start to merge and bleed into other stories. However, This is also where the film lost the plot for me. The whole affair was too convenient
My main gripe with this film is that it doesn’t know what it wants to be. With the four storylines running parallel to each other, they don’t feel connected at all somehow, despite being within the same script. It is a screwball comedy, in one moment, a romantic film, a philosophical movie and many more films crammed into one. It is afraid to commit to one and that really reflects in the screenplay. There is no method to this madness.
The cinematography is great, the use of colours and shot composition is commendable as I previously mentioned and the costume design can also be coupled in with that. The design and the visual language of the film are undoubtedly one of its biggest strong points. However, I did notice some bizarre editing and colouring choices in a few scenes, prompting me to wonder “How did that get in?” Thankfully, the film is not bogged down by these occasional hiccups and maintains the status quo.
Conclusion:
Ludo took some brave steps towards telling a collection of stories in a distinct and unique way and tried to tie it all together at the end, to make it look as coherent as possible. The performances were solid all across the board and the aesthetic of the film alone made it a worthwhile watch. Ultimately, it succeeded in certain aspects but failed in others. The inability to produce likeable characters and a mostly disjointed plot hinder it from being a truly remarkable movie and just relegates it to a film which will be forgotten in the massive output of content.
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