LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG Produced by : Aditya Chopra, Pradeep Sarkar Directed by : Pradeep Sarkar Starring : Jaya Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kunal Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Kamini Kaushal, Harsh Chhaya, Tinu Anand, Sushant Singh, Taraana Raja, Suchitra Pillai, Ninad Kamat Special Appearance : Hema Malini UK Release 12 October 2007

Synopsis

Badki and Chutki live a fun-filled life in Banaras, playing pranks, sneaking off to see a forbidden mujra, and soaking up all the excitement that goes on the ghats of the Ganga. Badki is aware that the family is in dire straits, but she and her mother protect Chutki at all costs. When things get worse, Badki decides to go to Mumbai and seek a living for the family.

Alone and unsupported in the midst of the urban jungle of Mumbai, Badki battles with dark forces, keeping her focus on her purpose to support her family and continue Chutki’s education. She deliberately morphs into someone else, leading a secret life full of murky compromises. When Chutki comes to Mumbai to work, things take a dramatic turn. Badki’s life turns into a minefield, as she has to hide her secrets from Chutki.

Chutki finds success at work, and love that delights her heart. Badki finds the magic of love, but lets it slip away before it can blossom, as she believes it’s not in her destiny. She battles menace and blackmail alone, not letting these dark shadows fall on Chutki or her family. But her dual life is revealed, and the two sisters are face to face, in a confrontation neither had expected. And when love beckons Badki again, the whole family is thrown in a tumultuous storm.

Everything threatens to explode in their faces, destroying all of them. Will Badki get the happy ending she deserves? Or will the shadows of her past douse the lamps of hope? Will her secrets ruin Chutki’s happiness? Can their parents face up to all this?

'Laaga Chunari...' tugs at your heartstrings
Review By Subhash K. Jha (IANS)
Rating: ****

It's been ages since a film tugged so hard at your heartstrings. Ages since a film exuded the aroma of the middleclass in such glorious and vivacious colours. Don't hold director Pradeep Sarkar's long experience as an ad-maker against him. 'Laaga Chunari Mein Daa' is a very stylishly told tale of a fallen woman's rise from matters of the flesh to the spirit.

Whether it's Varanasi's hectic daytime flamboyance or Mumbai's steamy nightlife, cinematographer Sushir Rajpal lays out a sumptuous feast for the eyes. Though it tells the tale of a terrible moral downfall, the mood is kept vibrant and real to the end.

As we watch the two sisters Badki (Rani) and Chukti (Konkona) dancing on the ghats of the Ganga in Varanasi, a strange alchemy occurs between the audience and the film. One is immediately drawn into the world of Pradeep Sarkar's decadent but dignified characters as they go from abject bankruptcy to unscheduled redemption.

The scenes are written with an eye for inner detail. You'll love the initial scenes where a film crew from Mumbai descends on the family and provides the much-needed financial respite. You'll also love the kitchen cackle between mother Jaya Bachchan and her two bubbly daughters. And one watches Badki's transformation from an innocent small-town girl to a high-class prostitute with a mixture of dismay and admiration.

There are some really interesting male characters - the cheesy but suave executive (Harsh Chaya) who first tells Rani the easy way for a pretty Class 10 drop-out to make money, or the ad agency owner (Kunal Kapoor) who can't eat without soiling his clothes. Or Anupam Kher, subdued and embittered, as the family head who has given up his responsibilities. Director Sarkar has cast every character with actors who look and feel right for the part.

"Laaga Chunari..." has pace and grace. And it has Rani Mukherjee who has evolved into one of the most substantial actresses of today. Her interpretation of the character's heartbreaking change from innocence to reluctant compromise is fleshed out in glorious colours.

The rest of the cast is also exceptional, specially Konkona who finally stands up and fights for the rights of her sister who has been compromising herself to look after the family. In a film that belongs to Rani, Konkona creates ample space for herself.

This film has one of Jaya Bachchan's finest performances too. The wrinkled brow, the perpetual tensions of running a home with nil finances, the horror and guilt of letting her daughter cross the path of morality - it's a role any 50-plus actress would die for. And Hema Malini in one single dance number leaves you stunned with her beauty.

The narrative converges on these three women and weaves the other equally well-etched characters' around them. Not a clichéd tale of the fallen woman, 'Laaga Chunari...' ranks among the best films in recent years on the question of sexual morality.

Watch how Sarkar cuts the sequence where Rani calls her mother back home just before her first sexual compromise, or the delicate way the title song floats from the waters of the Ganga to the smoky rooms of the rich and the power-hungry.

'Laaga Chunari Mein Daag' is easily one of the most vivid portrayals of feminine angst and redemption in recent times.