Writers enjoy writing complicated stories and directors love directing such stories because of the feeling they get at the end, ‘whoopie, I connected the dots.’ But thanks to the confusion that is created in the process that the audience most of the time do not enjoy watching such films.
When it comes to Ludo, the stories individually were a great watch but when it came to bringing them together, it clearly became a task for the writers and the makers. Towards the end, the film starts to bore you despite being entertaining for most of the part.
The good part about Ludo is that it’s a fun watch. But again, when not a single story gets the undivided attention of the makers, the end result is never great.
Coming straight to the point now: Ludo despite being entertaining is a one-time watch. As the title suggests, Ludo, the film is inspired by Ludo, the game. Similar to the game, the film is divided into 4 stories. The goal of every story, or let’s say, all the characters involved is to get back home safely. Only at the end do you get to know who gets home and who fails in the game of Ludo.
When it comes to the stories, undoubtedly all the stories in the film were interesting. You want more of them. And here is where the writers disappoint you. They have failed to give you enough of any of these stories. In short, 4 good stories with a lot of potential have been wasted by cramming them into 1 film.
Speaking of actors and their performances, everyone has done justice to their roles and characters. Pankaj Tripathi, as always, is entertaining. His mere screen presence is enough to crack you up. Abhishek Bachchan too was a treat to watch in Ludo. Though his role reminds you of Lallan, his character in Yuva, the story keeps bringing you back to Bittu Tiwari. Aditya Roy Kapur – Sanya Malhotra and Rohit Saraf – Pearle Maaney’s parts were more of complimentary stories. If I had to remove any of the stories to do justice to just a few, I would have taken out these two stories and have focussed on the remaining ones. Why? Because the main attractions of Ludo are Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Bachchan, and Rajkummar Rao. You just cannot imagine this film without them.
Where Abhishek Bachchan’s story give Ludo a subtle touch of poignancy, Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi sprinkle humour whenever they come on screen.
Apart from that, there is one thing that is extremely addictive about this film. Even after the movie ends, it will stay with you, for a long long time, maybe for years to come. What is it?
THIS SONG AND THIS SCENE
The final verdict: Ludo is a combination of both, half fun half not.
A special mention to Pearle Maaney for doing the nurse’s part so fantastically.
Where to Watch? Netflix
The Digital Popcorn 