Laal Singh Chaddha stays faithful to the theme of Forrest Gump; it is about a man’s extraordinary journey that showcases important or pivotal moments in Indian history between 1971 and 2022. Events covered include India winning the 1983 Cricket World Cup, Operation Blue Star, Indira Gandhi’s assassination and the riots that followed, the Indo-Pak Kargil War, and much more. The story is one of a kind, and Atul Kulkarni’s adapted screenplay truly Indianizes Forrest Gump. While a bit excessive in certain parts, it usually stays short and sweet, giving the actors and actresses the opportunity to make their characters their own. It also removes many of the dark and more mature parts that were present in the original, especially in regard to Rupa’s character.

Advait Chandan effectively directs the movie, with scenes flowing together seamlessly. On the flip side, the film lacks one essential element that formed the backbone of Forrest Gump: Comedy. While it attempts to be comedic in certain places, like when Laal runs for the track team in college, these scenes fall flat and instead make the viewer cringe. The lack of comedy really goes against Laal Singh Chaddha, and the lengthy duration of two hours and forty-one minutes just prolongs that misery. 

Certain plot points stand out in Laal Singh Chadda, both negative and positive in impact. The subplot of Muhammed was unnecessary and could be difficult for viewers to digest. Making Muhammed a Pakistani commander and giving him a redemption arc didn’t add much value to the story, and the movie would have come off better if he were an Indian army commander and had a similar character arc to Luitenant Dan (Gary Sinise) in the original.