Lakshmi, Hindi Bollywood Film Movie review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * *
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Hindi Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Film: Lakshmi
: True story told with a disconnect that is brutal
Cast: Monali Thakur, Shefali Shah, Nagesh Kukunoor,
Satish Kaushik, Ram Kapoor, Flora Saini
Director: Nagesh Kukunoor
Rating: * *
We’ve seen many films made on the plight of
prostitutes in India- from Amar Prem, Charitraheen, Bhavna, Mausam, Salaam
Mumbai, Rajjo, Chameli, Mandi, Giddh etc. Some like ‘Amar Prem, Rajjo, Chameli’
were given the traditional bollywood fantasy treatment while others like ‘Bhavna,
Mausam, Salaam Bombay and Mandi’ were far more forthcoming about the real
issues that plagued these women who existed in the fringes of society. Nagesh
Kukunoor’s film is based on a true story and focuses on child trafficking as a
denouement. Lashmi(Monali Thakur) , a fourteen year old , is the central
character. She has been sold by her alcoholic father to a local Lady MLA who
has business connections with a Pimp, Chinna(Nagesh Kukunoor himself) and his
brother Reddy anna(Satish Kaushik). The two brothers apparently run a girls
hostel for runaway women which in real fact is a euphemism for a brothel, where
these girls/women are sold to the sexually depraved for a price. Shefali Shah
plays the madam while Flora Saini, is the prostitute who appears to have
embraced her fate with all the skills and tricks at her disposal. The film is
about sexploitation and hit’s you hard on the head with brutal sexual assaults
designed to be cringe-inducing. But that’s
all the connect you feel with what transpires on screen.
Kukunoor’s treatment is a little too flat and un-enlivening.
In fact the script lacks distinctive dramatic moments because Kukunoor and team
appear unable to come to terms with the conflict arising out of maintaining
gritty integrity while fashioning a cinematic assay that can connect with the
audience. In fact the manner in which this story plays out, you just don’t feel
very affected other than those fleeting moments of extreme brutality. Lakshmi’s
plight is similar to many we’ve seen in cinema before so there is no novelty
factor either. The fact that she is below the age of consent and therefore her
exploitation is doubly damming, also doesn’t come across effectively. The role of the NGO and that of the courts is
also not depicted with enough clarity or power. The entire experience comes
close to enervating. But for the fairly evocative performances, docu-style
cinematography and dialogues that paint vivid pictures of indecency and abuse,
this would have been a lost cause altogether!
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