Two jewel boxes.

 Laapataa Ladies (2023) is a new variation on Bollywood's grand old tradition of blurring genre lines.  The premise and structure says "gritty social drama", but the tone says "feel-good romantic comedy."  Can it be both?  It's going to try.

 Deepak (Sparsh Shrivastava) has just married the beautiful and sheltered Phool (Nitanshi Goel), and the pair are traveling by train to the groom's village home in the fictional state of Nirmal Pradesh.  They are not the only married couple in the compartment, and Deepak begins to feel self-conscious as the other grooms brag about the dowries they've been paid, but but he's happy with his new bride, and late at night, when the train reaches their stop, he nudges Phool awake and they leave the train.

Or so he thinks - all three of the brides in the compartment are dressed in red wedding saris, and they are all modestly veiled, which means that their faces can't be seen and they can't really see anything either.  When Deepak gets home, the family gathers to meet their new member, only to realize that the brave-hearted young man has brought back the wrong bride.  She introduces herself as Pushpa (Pritabha Ranta), and because Deepak's family are decent people, they let her stay while Deepak tries to sort everything out.

Meanwhile, Phool wakes up when the train reaches the end of the line.  She realizes that Deepak is not there and that she's at the wrong station, but thankfully she does not talk to Pushpa's new husband Pradeep (Bhaskar Jha) because he's terrible.  Pradeep stomps around the station looking for his wife, mumbles a few threats, then gives up and decides to spend the night with his mistress.  He's mostly angry because she was carrying the wedding jewelry, and because his first wife died in a mysterious and convenient kitchen fire and he doesn't want to have to deal with the police again.

 That doesn't help Phool.  She's alone in a strange city, she doesn't dare talk to the police, can't remember the name of her new husband's village, and won't return to her parents because it will bring shame to her family.  A beggar named Chhotu (Satendra Soni) gives her a place to stay for the night, and in the morning he introduces her to the magnificently cynical Manju Maai (Chhaya Kadam), who eventually takes her in and gives her a job at her tea stall, along with some excellent advice about learning to live for yourself.

Deepak goes to the police for help, but the cheerfully corrupt Sub-Inspector Manohar (Ravi Kishan) seems more interested in the extra bride.  Pushpa doesn't want to talk to the police at all, and instead slowly gains the family's trust and begins to subtly make their lives better, providing a nontoxic way to deal with the insects that are damaging the crops, and encouraging Poonam (Rachna Gupta) to develop her artistic talents.

However, Pushpa is hiding something.  Several things, really, starting with the fact that her name isn't Pushpa, it's Jaya.  Sub-Inspoector Manohar is suspicious, and starting to close in.

 The social commentary here can be quite pointed; Manju Maai in particular has a lot to say about women not realizing their own power because they're hamstrung by a strict code of social conduct.  And yet, nearly everybody is nice.  Deepak is truly devoted to his wife and desperate to find her, while Phool learns to be more independent and value herself and then chooses to go back to her husband.  Social dramas don't normally get happy endings, but I'm not complaining.