Laaga Chunari me Daag

Genre: Social

Cast: Jaya Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Konkona Sen Sharma, Abhishek Bachchan, Kunal Kapoor, Anupam Kher

Director: Pradeep Sarkar

Showing at theatres near you

Kathmandu:

The film starts with beautiful sunsets, artistically rich temples, beautiful Benares and an insight into the lives of two sisters — Badki (Rani Mukherjee) and Chutki. The girls are full of enthusiasm though they have their own share of problems due to the family’s weak financial condition.

Badki the elder one has given up her studies and helps her mother, Sabitri (Jaya Bachchan) with the sewing business, while Chutki the younger carries on with her studies. Seeing her family’s deteriorating condition and to prove to her father, Shiv Shankar Sahay (Anupam Kher) that she is no less than a son, Chutki decides to go to Mumbai and get a job.

Her friends try to help her out but in vain — with no educational qualifications, she becomes a misfit in the fast paced city. However, one day the head of a call centre assures her of a job, if she spends a night with him. As fate would have it, her father is hospitalised and her asks her for money. She has no other alternative but to given in to the situation.

Thus her dark journey intot the world of prostitution begins — Badki becomes Natasha, a high level expensive escort for the wealthiest men in town. That’s how she meets Rohan (Abhishek Bachchan), who is impressed by her.

The twist comes when her younger sister Chutki lands in Mumbai to work in an ad agency. She meets Vivaan (Kunal Kapoor),

who works in the same company and thus begin their story as well. The story proceeds with Badki’s struggle to hide her identity from her sister and the revelations that unfold.

With a strong story line, realistic approach and emotional dialogues, the first half of the movie is really credible. It has portrayed the unfortunate yet true story of many such girls in a fine manner and touches one’s sentiments. But, the second half with its dose of a typical Bollywood masala flick is a major disappointment. A movie that could have won accolades with its strong storyline goes haywire and loses the effect it could have generated. The second half is too unconvincing, and compared to the realistic first half, it does not hold the consistency of the pre-intermission sce-nes, and this is its setback.

The stars have given good performances. Its Jaya Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee who steal the show, while Abhishek looks a bit lost. A special appearance by Hema Malini, with her grace and elegance, adds a special touch to the movie.

The music is sure to make waves, with its mix of typical village tunes and contemporary music it carries the story forward quite well.