Laal Singh Chaddha is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language comedy drama film directed by Advait Chandan and written by Atul Kulkarni. Produced by Paramount Pictures, Aamir Khan Productions and Viacom18 Studios, it is an authorized adaptation of the 1994 American film Forrest Gump which itself is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film stars Aamir Khan as the title character alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan, Naga Chaitanya (in his Hindi film debut) and Mona Singh.
The adaptation of Forrest Gump underwent a series of changes over a period of two decades, with Kulkarni spending the first ten years adapting the script, and another ten years purchasing the remake rights. Aamir Khan bought the rights of the film in early 2018 with the help of Los Angeles-based producer and director Radhika Chaudhari and announced the film officially on 14 March 2019, with its title. The film's score is by Tanuj Tiku, while its original songs are composed by Pritam and their lyrics are written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.
Laal Singh Chaddha has been filmed in more than 100 Indian locations. Principal photography began in October 2019 and concluded in September 2021, after multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was initially scheduled for cinema release during multiple dates in 2020–2022, but kept getting delayed due to the production halt caused by the pandemic, and was theatrically released worldwide on 11 August 2022, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day. It opened to mixed reviews from critics and audience, with praise for its adaptation to the new setting, faithfulness to the source material, depth, soundtrack, background score and emotion, but received criticism for Khan's performance. Against its ₹1.8 billion budget, the film generated a worldwide revenue of less than ₹900 million in its first week and was thus declared a box-office bomb.
Plot
In 2014, on a train bound for Karauli, a man named Laal Singh Chaddha recounts the story of his life to strangers who happen to sit next to him, while eating golgappas. As a boy in 1977, Laal has an IQ of 75 and is fitted with leg braces to correct a curved spine. He lives in Karoli, Punjab, with his mother, who runs a farm and encourages him to live beyond his disabilities. He meets a girl named Rupa D'Souza on his first day at school, and the two become best friends. One day, a group of bullies starts pelting stones at Laal. When he runs to escape them, his leg braces come off, and he realizes that he is a fast runner. Rupa's father is arrested by the police as he beat her mother to death. When Rupa's mother dies, she is sent to live with her grandmother, who used to work at Laal's house. Laal was happy because now he and Rupa could always be together. When the 1984 anti-Sikh riots begin, Laal and his mother go to stay at his aunt's place to be safe. There, Laal meets a young Shah Rukh Khan and teaches him dance steps and poses which he would later go on to use in his films.
To save Laal from rioters, Laal's mother cuts off his long hair and removes his turban, to hide his identity as a Sikh. Laal's mother sends him and Rupa to Hindu College in Delhi. There, Laal witnesses L.K. Advani's Ram Rath Yatra. Laal takes part in track and field, and wins many prizes, whereas Rupa starts taking part in modeling competitions, as she dreams of becoming a model in Mumbai and becoming rich. Sometime later, Laal joins the army, where he meets Balaraju Bodi aka Bala, who wants to start an undergarment business. They both decide to start an undergarment-manufacturing company together, once they leave the army. Rupa goes to Mumbai to pursue her dreams.
In 1999, the Kargil War breaks out between India and Pakistan. Laal and Bala were in the same battalion. Rupa had told Laal to start running as soon as his life was in danger. When the Pakistani soldiers had an advantage, he runs, but realizes that Bala is left behind. He goes back, but every time he goes back, he finds another soldier who is injured and asks for help. He also saves a Pakistani commander, not knowing he was the enemy. He could not save Bala, leaving him heartbroken, but is awarded a medal by the Indian Government for saving five soldiers.