Maa Da Ladla Movie Review: Neeru Bajwa and Tarsem Jassar's latest is a good-humoured flick to one's liking

Maa Da Ladla Movie Review: Punjabi Mania present before you the full movie review of recently released Punjabi movie titled ‘Maa Da Ladla’.

Cast: Neeru Bajwa, Tarsem Singh Jassar, Roopi Gill, Nirmal Rishi, Naseem Vicky, Iftikhar Thakur, Qaiser Piya, Rupinder Rupi, Sukhwinder Chahal, Swastik Bhagat.

Director: Uday Pratap Singh.

Producer: Manpreet Johal, Ashu Munish Sahni.

Music: Dr Zeus, Wazir Patar.

Genre: Comedy.

Running Time: 127 minutes (U certified).

Maa Da Ladla Movie Review

'Maa Da Ladla' is essentially a well-made movie around not just the relation of a mother-son but also one of a grandmother-grandson. You don't have to be a student of rocket science to enjoy the movie because it is wittingly fruitful in spite of its simplicity.

As a matter of fact, it is writer Jagdeep Warring and director Uday Pratap Singh's deliberate effort to keep things lucid which emerges as the biggest victory for Maa Da Ladla.

Gora (Tarsem Jassar) and Bagga (Naseem Vicky) are struggling actors always in search of work (read money). Their primary source of income is working in advertisements shot by an ad agency run by Sehaj (Neeru Bajwa). Apart from successfully running an ad agency, Sehaj also excels at being a single mother to Kevin (Swastik Bhagat).

As is a general trait found in many kids, Kevin flexes his stubbornness only to seek information and location of his father. Not wanting to spill the beans in front of her comparatively older child, Sehaj offers an acting assignment to Gora in the form of playing the role of her son's father in real life in return for financial compensation.

Having herself shown interest in inviting trouble leading to an enjoyable mess for the audiences, Sehaj witnesses the same unfurling in her life as a consequence of finding a temporary father for her son. This complicated mess is also a chief reason behind the jocularity in Maa Da Ladla.

Between tried and tested names in Nirmal Rishi (Bachno), Vicky, Iftikhar Thakur (Safri) and Qaiser Piya (Doctor), writer Warring shines in distributing the comic dialogues evenly. When sharing a frame, neither of the quartet ever looks to be lacking in any aspect or been left behind. Now, Vicky and Piya might be working in a Punjabi movie for the first time but their vast experience of working in television dramas for a long time doesn't make them look like debutants.

Working in their second and third films as script writer and director respectively, Jagdeep and Uday Pratap get most things right for a light-hearted comedy movie. The crowning point for the writer-director duo is clear improvement from their last project which hints at Maa Da Ladla being a step in the right direction for them on a personal level.

The pair is also skillful at not adding unwanted elements to the movie which would've served no major purpose than extending it's length unnecessarily. Unknowingly following a template set by Vikas Vashisht's 'Yaar Mera Titliaan Warga' released earlier this month, a short and crisp Maa Da Ladla has less space for boring or unneeded sequences.

Another highlight of Maa Da Ladla is the easy-going nature of its dialogues. Having refrained from making the dialogues look like belonging to a film, Warring ensures that they sound quite commonly used in real life to make them more relatable. The climax of the movie flirts with a Smeep Kang-style ending but backtracks at the right point before things would have become serious.

Having said that, Jagdeep and Uday Pratap have easily missed a trick by not making optimum use of actor Roopi Gill (Pinder). Although Gill performs quite well in whatever is asked of her, one feels her character could have been written and executed in a much better way to create a better impact for Maa Da Ladla as a whole.

Leads in Bajwa and Jassar, on the other hand, are at their A-game throughout the 127-minute movie. Not known for playing out and out comic characters, Jassar has perhaps carried off his best work in this particular space. Some of Jassar's dialogues are written and spoken in such a way that you are immediately reminded of superstar's Diljit Dosanjh's iconic chemistry with Bajwa.

Last but not the least, Bhagat also puts on display an assured performance. While credit goes to the makers for trying out a new child actor, credit to Bhagat for justifying his selection in a good-humoured movie which won't let you down.