Sarvani Chavali 16th November, 2020
Poster of ‘Ludo’ (Source: The Scrbblr)
Anurag Basu’s ‘Ludo’ is a multi-narrative comedy around the popular board game of the same name. The film, which was released on Netflix this week, aims to portray individual stories and characters as they get into a variety of situations, as determined by their fates, much like the game of ludo. The star cast includes Pankaj Tripathi, Sanya Malhotra, Aditya Roy Kapur, Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkumar Rao, Rohit Saraf, Pearle Maney and Fatima Sana Sheikh.
Anurag Basu’s movies are well known for having bizarre storylines, handled competently. Ludo is a delightful set of characters each more absurd than the last. Ludo strikes with an interesting premise. The movie features a catchy background track and an interesting start. Anurag Basu gets to the unpredictability quite soon that manages to set an intriguing tone.“Basu wisely does not go the slapstick way with ‘Ludo’. He keeps his wit sharp, low-volume and clean” said Anna MM Vetticad, from Firstpost as she rates the film 3/5.
As multiple characters are introduced and their backstories are revealed, the film bothers audiences with its slow pace. Due to this, the film has gained some mixed reactions. “I need a muscle relaxant to get over how I tortured my body while sitting and watching this movie.” said an unimpressed member of the audience. The slow pace is the underwhelming aspect of the film as there are too many characters telling too many stories that the narrative gets a little stuffy. Before the audiences can entirely understand a character and their story, the movie moves on to the next story, leaving some loose ends that are eventually tied up by Basu himself by making an appearance as the narrator.
The film is visually beautiful as the screenplay and cinematography are done very well. Anurag Basu is the cinematographer for the film. “The cinematography is visually stunning and beyond amazing” praised, an impressed audience member. The attention to detail, saturation of colours, even the colours of the mode of transport referring to the pieces of the board game, it’s a signature Basu style film and a visual treat. The background score and music beautifully done by Pritam adds to the quirkiness of the film. The film has a very darkly comedic background to it. “Ludo is by far the best movie in 2020 with a spellbound script, crisp editing and spectacular performances from the ensemble cast” reviewed a member of the audience.
The cast delivers some credible performances—Pankaj Tripathi as Satthu Bhaiya, the badass criminal who unites all the characters and stories. Rajkumar Rao as a Mithun fan is a hilarious character and dazzles audiences with his performance. Abhishek Bachchan’s performance as Bittu was impactful. Fatima Sana Sheikh is an interesting character, Pinky. Sanya Malhotra and Aditya Roy Kapur share some cute romantic moments in the film and are a refreshing pair to watch. Pearle Maney leaves quite an impression and Rohit Saraf has done a commendable job with an interesting track. ‘Ludo’ is a messy and quirky, odd and innovative movie that has some pointless moments, but if one can ignore those bumps, Ludo is an interesting watch with lots of surprises and neatly tied ends.
(Sources: The Indian Express, Times of India, The Scrbblr)
Edited by: Aparna Jayabal P, Tanya Jain, Anjali Dinesh