Laaga Chunari Mein Daag appeals in bits and spurts. It's well shot and is backed by striking performances, but the graph of the film lacks uniformity. It holds your attention, and then it doesn't. To sum up, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag fails because of its writing. It has an oft-repeated theme and coupled with inept writing, the chances are very dim.
Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is a story of Badki [Rani Mukerji] and Chhutki [Konkona Sen Sharma] live a fun-filled life in Banaras, playing pranks, sneaking off to see a forbidden mujra [Hema Malini, in a special appearance] 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 [Jaya Bachchan] protect Chhutki 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 Chhutki's education. She deliberately morphs into someone else, leading a secret life full of murky compromises. When Chhutki 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 Chhutki. Chhutki 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 Chhutki or her family. But Badki's dual life is revealed in front of Chhutki 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.
The film dips further when Rani, now a polished, English speaking girl, meets Abhishek in an aircraft and the one-sided love story begins. And then the treacherous cousin [Sushant Singh] arrives in Mumbai, blackmailing her. Laaga Chunari Mein Daag has a promising start. Portions depicting the financial difficulties plaguing a family are convincingly depicted. Everything's in control till Rani decides to become an escort. The question here is that prostitution is the only alternate profession you can take to in crisis?
The second hour is interesting in parts. Cinematography is splendid. Dialogues deserve special mention. Shantanu Moitra's music is a mixed bag. 'Hum To Aise Hain Bhaiya' is the best of the lot. Rani excels yet again. Konkona is fantastic. In fact, she lends a lot of freshness to her character. Jaya Bachchan is superb. Her work is truly admirable. Abhishek Bachchan's extended special appearance makes no impact. Kunal Kapoor is likable. Anupam Kher is alright. Tinnu Anand and Sushant Singh suffer due to ill-defined roles. Kamini Kaushal, Murli Sharma, Harsh Chhaya, Tarana, Suchitra Pillai and Ninad Kamat enact their parts well.
On the whole, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag stands on a shaky script and has all chances of slipping, not consolidating its position. In just 10 minutes you come to know about what the story is, you can even guess the twists and turns the story may take and you can successfully read what the climax would be. Predictability -- that bogs Laaga Chunari Mein Daag down.
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'Laaga Chunari Mein Daag' is an extraordinary story of a woman, her sacrifice, and her eventual fall from grace.
Pradeep Sarkar , who made his directorial debut in 2005 with Parineeta , is the film's director.
Character Sketches
Rani Mukherjee as Badki Badki is a fun-loving and happy-go-lucky girl, drunk on the masti of Banaras. Her life is full of laughter and the love of her family. When problems crop up and the family falls upon bad days, and Badki's studies are stopped, she just girds her loins and helps her mother to keep things going.
Even when the going gets tougher, and she finds herself battling the hard and ruthless city of Mumbai, she does not buckle under, but faces it all with exemplary courage. And she does not hesitate in paying the highest price to support her family.
Konkona Sen Sharma as Chutki Chutki is a spunky spirited and crazy young girl. Innocent and protected from the harsh circumstances of her family by Badki and their mother, Chutki revels in their love. Gifted with a sharp and intelligent mind, she is unaware of the sacrifices Badki is making to keep her education going.
Jaya Bachchan as Sabitri Sabitri is the backbone and anchor of the Sahay family. She bears the brunt of every crisis the family encounters. She is dismayed as she sees her husband turn bitter with his failures and turn away from the family. Alone, bewildered, Sabitri leans hard on Badki, her only solace. In her crisis, she does not realize when Badki has reached her own breaking point. And she is the only one who bears the burden of the terrible knowledge of Badki's enormous sacrifices.
Anupam Kher as Shivshankar Sahay Shivshankar Sahay is a retired professor of Economics who has turned bitter and pessimistic after his pension was unfairly suspended by the college. Instead of fighting against the resulting poverty, he has accepted defeat, and hopes that the numerous lottery tickets he buys will land him a fortune that will bring back the glorious days of the past. He vents his frustration on his family, and particularly his elder daughter Badki, as he believes that things would have been different had she been born a son.
Kunal Kapoor as Vivaan Vivaan is a living embodiment of Indian youth today. Full of wit and humor, he loves a laugh, wherever and by whichever means he can get it. Typical of the urban youth, Vivaan does not have a clue as to how the rest of India lives. So when Chutki joins his advertising agency, he dismisses her as a small town girl. But Chutki's spunk, spirit, and insights blow him away. She matches him barb for barb, retort for retort and he finds that he is head over heels in love.
Abhishek Bachchan as Rohan Rohan is a highly educated and world-renowned attorney, sought after throughout the world for his expertise. However, inside this suave and smart young man resides a mischievous, impish spirit. When Rohan encounters Badki this spirit takes over completely. Bowled over totally by Badki's innocence and guilelessness, he is intrigued by her homegrown wisdom and her deep faith too. What is happening between the Rohan and Badki is like a flower just beginning to blossom. But the harsh realities of their lives intervene, and the magic is shattered. Rohan is determined to get to the crux of things, but will he be able to handle what he discovers?
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 Mein Daag' has been produced by Aditya Chopra. The film has music by Shantanu Moitra and lyrics by Swanand Kirkire.
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