Main Ladega‘s basic premise is interesting – a nerd turning into an expert sportsman. How the protagonist manages to convince the mentor to take him under his guidance is also interesting. Technically, the film is fine and has some arresting moments. On the flipside, the film is too long (2 hours 28 minutes). It comes at a time when we have seen so many sports films and hence, one knows where the film is heading. The father angle in the end is unconvincing and the Jab Tak Hai Jaan inspiration is laughable. Akash Pratap Singh, the lead actor, has worked hard but looks very off in the scenes where he’s playing a socially awkward character. Vallari Viraj (Gauri) puts up a confident act. Ashwath Bhatt (Father) is fine but is let down by the writing. Gandharva Dewan (Gurnaam) leaves a mark. Jyoti Gauba (Mother) and Prathamesh Mehta (Nana) are okay. Saurabh Pachauri (Sonu), Tanuj Dudeja (Gaurav; bully), Paramveer Singh (Randhawa Sir) and Rahil Siddique (Bheem Singh) are decent. All in all, Main Ladega is disappointing due to the cliched script and excessive length.
My rating – ** out of 5!