Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga

Debutant director Shelly Chopra Dhar's Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is an interesting romance tale with a social message, where love blossoms at a wedding and culminates on the stage of a theatrical performance.

Writer-director Shelly Chopra Dhar and co-writer Gazal Dhaliwal (who previously wrote Irrfan's 'Qarib Qarib Singlle') manage to spark off some pretty interesting ideas of love. Yes, their film deals with sexuality and seeking acceptance from the older and more-conservative family members, but at the core, 'ELKDTAL' talks about love being a universal feeling, one that cannot be shackled by societal norms and diktats. The writing isn't all top-grade, but this film has its heart in the right place and sometimes that's all that really matters.

The underrated Abhishek Duhan is impeccable as Sweety's brother. But the lasting memory from Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is of Anil taking a scene that could have been maudlin, insufferable and loud, and turning it into a heart-wrenching passage of acceptance, self-realisation and personal growth. Ek Veteran Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga...

This one may not achieve what 3 Idiots did for parents of engineering students with non-technical passions. But it has the recipe for a light-hearted comedy. Also, it subliminally yet successfully sensitises audiences to the challenges endured by same-sex couples when surrounded by those who refuse to understand or accept them.

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is entertaining as a film but fails to live up to the huge promises made by the promos. A brave attempt and full marks for the implementation. The very strong supporting cast and uproarious dialogues keep you attracted towards it.

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga wishes to lend itself as a significant voice of change and support towards the LGBT community, but its woefully apologetic tone regarding individual choices repeatedly negates it when characters -- both traumatised and enlightened -- spew things like, 'Yeh janam se hi aise hai' or 'I wish I was normal'. Funny how a woman can fall in love with another woman and still need a man to ensure she gets her happy ending. That's normal enough for Bollywood.

What works for Dhar's film are the honest performances, especially by the reliable Kapoor and Rao, who inject the film with energy. That energy is solely lacking in Kapoor Ahuja, who puts in a rather insipid performance as a young woman trapped in her identity and desperate for a way out. Not that the script affords her much, but even with what she has, she squanders the chance to depict the real struggle of women in small-town India and the prejudices they must deal with daily. She is the film's weakest link, and the reason why this story falls short.

Ek Ladki moves along on the strength of its progressive theme and some fine performances. Typical Bollywood elements – quirky characters, peppy songs, posh settings, syrupy emotions – are cleverly turned around to encourage us to see love through a different lens. However, the 120-minute movie tries too hard to be funny and heartfelt at the same time (and sometimes in the same scene). The comic bits inspired by the source material always work better than the melodramatic portions.

Perhaps the overtly righteous sense of cause — no doubt significant and much needed — becomes too much of a burden and gets the better of the filmmaking itself. ELKDTAL might be bringing a "new story" to Bollywood but plays out too flat, lightweight and facile to be of any consequence. Tell us another love story, please.