Recently, I have begun to take a serious interest in the world of Bollywood and have been making good use of my Cineworld membership to watch some of the films at my local cinema. "Laal Singh Chadda" is a fascinating film, based on "Forrest Gump" and it is the story of a journey, in two senses of the word. The narrative takes place on a train and features a rather eccentric man who begins to share his life story with his fellow passengers. Not surprisingly, he is met initially with a degree of disinterest, but as the story unfolds, we are taken on the other journey;his experience of life and he is eventually surrounded by an enthralled audience.

Bullied as a boy because of his leg braces and seen as something of a dimwit, Laal has had many difficulties in finding his place in the world. From the early stages of the story, one person becomes a constant presence in his life. Rupa is the girl at school who accepts him for what he is and the two become firm friends. As they both grow up, their friendship is sorely tested and faces many challenges and lengthy separations, not least when Laal declares his love for Rupa and his desire to marry her, only to be told that they will never be more than friends. This sense of unrequited love is compounded when she chooses to become the companion of a man in the film world who doubles up as a gangster figure and is eventually convicted of five murders; a case in which Rupa is also implicated. Rejection seems to make Laal all the more determined to succeed, not only in love, but in life as a whole.  After casting off his braces in an attempt to escape from the local bullies, he shows his talent as a runner and later, distinguishes himself in his service with the army and in business. Eventually, he and Rupa become the item that he has always wanted them to be, but their happiness is not to last, as her life is tragically cut short by illness.

It is a long time since I watched a film which took me on such an emotional roller coaster ride. At some points, I was having a great laugh and at others, I was wiping watery eyes.  For me, Laal is an extremely sympathetic character and the film made me think again about the adversities which many people face and their struggle to overcome them. A truly excellent film and well worth watching.