Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga: A told story that is rich in atmospherics

The film is not without flaws, but a good eye for direction and casting takes it where it needs to go

Set in the small town of Moga, Punjab, it’s the familiarity of the milieu that first draws you into writer Shelly Chopra Dhar’s first undertaking as a director. Papdi chaat and hot jalebis being made at a haldi ceremony in someone’s courtyard, in the soft warmth of the winter sun, is a scene to make all native Hindi speakers feel at home. And that’s a feeling that Dhar manages to infuse through the length of her two-hour film.

Treated as a light-hearted romantic drama, the film revolves around a family’s desire to get their daughter married. Dhar dives right into the