Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019)
Though internationally most people may know him as the smarmy host in Slumdog Millionaire, Anil Kapoor is an A-list Bollywood star in his own right. In 1996, he played the romantic lead in a movie called 1942: A Love Story, from which the love song Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga would become famous. It essentially translates to “When I saw this girl, it felt like…”, a sweet, dreamy sentiment. It was a cheesy, cute ‘90s song that hit it big.
In 2019, his real life daughter, Sonam Kapoor, also a Bollywood A-lister, will be playing his lesbian movie daughter in a movie named after that song.
I’m trying to be calm as I write this, but the historical and cultural significance of this is going to be massive. In a country of more than a billion people, this will single-handedly shift so much public opinion. To anyone who says, but this is just another coming out movie, not a real Bollywood romcom, I’m disappointed too, but this is so monumental in itself. These two risk backlash even with the considerable cachet they bring to this.
I did not think we’d get anything like this anytime soon and the thoughtfulness and care that’s going into it is very heartening. The close-knit cute family and mostly light-hearted tone making this an issue of love and acceptance instead of outright fear will render it that much more effective. The two big Kapoors and bringing in Juhi Chawla, another huge star, will soften the story for audiences unsure how to receive this. But most of all, the repurposing of that famous song for a woman is so lovely, so endearing.
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