Ludo (2020)

Language: Hindi

Director: Anurag Basu

Writer: Anurag Basu, Samrat Chakraborty, Sayef Turan

Genre: Comedy | Drama

Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Bachchan, Sanya Malhotra, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Rajkummar Rao

IMDb: Ludo (2020)

Streaming on Netflix.

Ohh beta ji.. Ohh babu ji… After watching Ludo, this 1951 movie song fails to get off my head!

Ludo begins with two characters talking to each other about life, corona and then deciding to play a game of Ludo. As the game begins, one of the characters, clad in black clothing, starts to narrate a story. Sattu Bhaiyya, who is the dice of the Ludo game is introduced to us here. Sattu is a gangster, who just never dies, whatsoever hits him! Cut to a scene with Sattu Bhaiyya shooting a rich man in his house as he is bathing and the corpse falls through to introduce us to a shocked Rahul. Rahul is a salesman who is continuously bullied by his boss and ends up being homeless. He and a Malayali nurse Sheeja Thomas, who speaks only Malayalam, form the blue side of the game. 

On the yellow side, we have Akash and Shruti, whose leaked sex video forms one part of the narrative as they strive to get it off the internet in a week’s time before Shruti’s marriage. As they embark on a journey to find out the source of the leaked video, Shruti, being brought up in a conservative household with the hopes of marrying a rich man, starts to doubt if that’s what she really wants.

On the red side, we have Bittu, who used to be the right hand man of Sattu Bhaiyya, but decides to give family life a try but not everything goes according to plan. Bittu ends up having to go to jail and in the process, loses his wife and daughter who refuse to accept him once he is back. Following his return, Bittu happens to meet 5-year-old Mini who runs away from home to get some attention from her parents. The heartening relationship that develops between them is the emotional piece of this movie.

Finally, on the green side, we have Alu and his sweetheart Pinky, who keeps asking for help from Alu, which he is ready to do out of love for her, but ends up being used. Pinky marries another guy but Alu still loves her. The tumultuous relationship of Pinky and her husband, takes the story forward with the hurdles they face on the way. 

The four sides come together in the movie and oh.. What a mess it becomes! Filled with chaos, confusion and extremely hilarious situations, the movie makes you laugh throughout. With the backdrop of certain serious storylines, Ludo is an engaging comedy ride! 

An ensemble cast, memorable performances especially by Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi and Pearly Maaney and the amount of craziness make this one a must-watch for anyone who wants to laugh hard.

Excellent.

Verdict: 5/7 stars.