Richa and Hrishi meet as students in Pune, fall in love and marry as soon as their degrees are done. Once Hrishi becomes an ambitious investment banker who wants a stay-at-home wife and a baby, and Richa insists on building her own career, the marriage cracks and heads toward divorce. Their separation is finalised on Richa's birthday, when a chance turn of events forces the two back into the same room and the same feelings.
Lakiro is Gujarati cinema trying on a register it rarely wears, the modern urban marriage told without the usual crowd of interfering parents. Richa and Hrishi meet in Pune, marry for love, and then discover that two careers and two sets of expectations do not fold neatly into one household. He wants a homemaker and a child, she wants the job she topped her class to earn, and the film sits in that ordinary friction instead of manufacturing a villain.
Director Darshan Ashwin Trivedi treats the material like a Hindi film rather than a regional one, shooting across Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru with a clean, contemporary look. Deeksha Joshi and Raunaq Kamdar carry it as the couple, believable in both the warmth and the wear, and the film is unafraid of intimacy and adult conflict that Gujarati audiences had not really seen on screen before. Parth Bharat Thakkar's score is the other star, a jazz-leaning album that charted and became Warner Music India's first Gujarati release, with playback from Amit Trivedi and Vishal Dadlani.
The reviews reflected a film that impressed more than it fully satisfied. The Week called it pathbreaking and gave it three and a half stars, while the Times of India, at three, praised the ambition but flagged the length and felt it might have breathed better as an OTT title. Both are right. The first half drags and the runtime is generous, yet the second half sharpens and the ending lands. For a Gujarati industry used to broad comedy and family drama, Lakiro is a real step sideways, worth watching for the craft and the couple even when the pacing tests you.
Verdict
A bold, contemporary marriage drama that pushed Gujarati cinema into new territory, held back by a slow first half but rewarding once it settles.
What works
- Grounded lead turns from Deeksha Joshi and Raunaq Kamdar
- A modern, non-preachy take on marriage rare in Gujarati cinema
- Parth Bharat Thakkar's chart-topping, jazz-leaning score
- Hindi-film-grade cinematography and production treatment
What holds it back
- Slow, stretched first half
- Uneven pacing before the interval
- Generous runtime that could suit an OTT watch
- Thin supporting arcs around the central couple
Cast & crew
Writers: Darshan Ashwin Trivedi
Music: Parth Bharat Thakkar
Cast: Deeksha Joshi (Richa), Raunaq Kamdar (Hrishi), Netri Trivedi (Saumya), Shivani Joshi (Kavya), Vishal Shah (Nikhil)
Producers: Sneh Shah, Pranav Joshi, Darshan Ashwin Trivedi, Suryaveer Singh Bhullar
Watch the trailer
Play the official trailer on YouTubeMore from Darshan Ashwin Trivedi
More Drama Gujarati films
Frequently asked
Is Lakiro worth watching?
A bold, contemporary marriage drama that pushed Gujarati cinema into new territory, held back by a slow first half but rewarding once it settles. Kevu Che rates it 3.5 out of 5.
What is Lakiro about?
Richa and Hrishi meet as students in Pune, fall in love and marry as soon as their degrees are done. Once Hrishi becomes an ambitious investment banker who wants a stay-at-home wife and a baby, and Richa insists on building her own career, the marriage cracks and heads toward divorce. Their separation is finalised on Richa's birthday, when a chance turn of events forces the two back into the same room and the same feelings.
What is the IMDb rating of Lakiro?
Lakiro (2023) holds an IMDb rating of 5.5 out of 10.