akbarnali
The bearings of western-style Feminism on the various subcultures of India have hitherto remained largely non-existent, the two entities belonging to alien realms and threatening (in the name of tradition) never to coincide. Art imitates life (or so the claim goes) and popular Hindi cinema is no exception, reflecting an underlying misogyny which, regrettably, forms the foundation of much of the collective Indian culture. But why? What is it about the female gender that has rendered it so hateful to the culture that women are routinely subject to the most unimaginable horrors, including rape, murder, infanticide, imposed illiteracy, infidelity, and the subjugation of spirit that goes under the name of 'dowry'? Rajkumar Santoshi's latest offering, "Lajja", asks the same plaintive question, linking the atrocities committed against women through three separate chapters/episodes which comprise the journey of shame endured by its protagonist, Vaidehi (Manisha Koirala).Direction on Santoshi's part is not up to par with the level the story demands. He fails to achieve the necessary sensitivity in depicting the saga of sadness and confronts the issue of misogyny from the side, instead of head-on. Santoshi has recently said that he did not make the film for an international film festival, but rather for the masses of his country. Regrettably, the tackiness shows, and the film too often delves into the action-blood-gore genre that Santoshi specializes in. The film suffers from its jerky, episodic pace and its ending is rather too contrived.The female cast is given much kinder and more rounded characterizations than their male counterparts. The protagonist is played sensitively by the luminescently beautiful Manisha Koirala who proves in Lajja that she is one of our time's more competent leading ladies, and given a proper role and set up, emerges with a truly commendable performance. One wonders how brilliantly she may have shone had the film been made by a director with the appropriate creative intention and appreciation of the issue at hand. Mahima Choudhary puts in a laudable performance and continues to show that she is an untapped talent. Cast as Janki, Madhuri Dixit performs with a never-before-seen fervor and felicity for what truly deserves the name of 'acting.' The role of a street smart performer who finds solace in alcohol and the promise of an unborn child stands as the greatest risk in her cannon of song-n-dance roles which have maintained her marquee status over the past decade. Which leaves the final and most disturbing performance in this would-be feminist saga, that of the ceaselessly talented Rekha. Lajja is Manisha Koirala's film, there can be no doubt about that, but it is Rekha who dominates the proceedings in a performance that digs into your bones and sends echoes of terror through the vestibules of your heart. Rekha dazzles as Ramdulari, foregoing vanity and complacency to deliver a performance that is so replete with authenticity and ingenuity that emotional nudity becomes the mantra of this portion of the film. Comparisons are indeed odious, especially when rendered opposite one of the world's great leading ladies, but in the gracious presence of this reigning screen legend the others fade in her shadow."Lajja" has none of the sophistication of proto-feminist dramas like "Zubeidaa", "Pinjar", or even the Hell-Queen celebration "Laadla": it fulfills its feministic goals in two early moments:the loud tirade in which Mahima berates her in-laws for their abuse of her father who has committed no other crime than given birth to a girl. She erupts, leaving the wedding procession in shambles. Seeing her father devastated, she begins to weep, blaming herself for the chaotic destruction in front of her. She bemoans, "Why did I say anything? I have ruined everything! It is all my fault!" Her grandmother, witnessing silently the abuse she bore, comforts her by saying, "Why are you crying? There is no reason for you to be crying. You are not at fault for anything. The fault is mine. The fault is of every woman who came before you, because if we had had the courage to say in our day what you have said today, there would have been no need for you to say anything today." In this scene the importance of the Feminist Legacy is laid plainly in sight through words.The other, more subtle moment comes very early in the film when Vaidehi (Manisha) has fled from her abusive husband to the refuge of her parents' home in India. To viewers of western societies, it may seem perfectly reasonable (indeed, natural) that any abused woman would seek the protective guardianship of her parents; this, however, is a societal taboo in many eastern cultures, India among them. Once a woman has been married, the identity she assumes is that of her husband and his personal assets (family, business, children, etc.) For her to turn her back on these responsibilities is a grave social sin, one which truly has no equivalent for the western woman. She is thereafter regarded as tainted and as 'damaged goods', one whose value has been nullified entirely by her own actions and her refusal to submit to the role she has been given. She is not so much an individual as she is an emblem of familial honor. Her father rebukes her for her actions, concerned that his familial honor will be tarnished irreparably by the daughter he had already transferred to another man. His primary concern is that of the impending marriage of Vaidehi's younger sister, a prospect made far less likely with a divorced elder daughter in the same household. He tells her in no uncertain that she must return to the man to whom she lawfully belongs, however violent and sadistic he may be. He levies against her the age old adage that, "The honor of every home lies in the hands of its daughter." Quietly and pensively, she replies, "Yes, the honor of every home lies in the hands of its daughter. But there is no honor for the daughter herself."
Herag Halli
The Hindi directors are brilliant in depicting gory authenticity that an ordinary viewer is horrified to see on the screen, when even the thought of the same is difficult to fathom. The rape scene of the character of Rekha is something that will haunt any one with a conscience, not only her true portrayal but the ugliness and heinout extent of the crime. The movie has several parts to it each with its own pathetic ending. Madhuri Dixit, Urmila Matondkar have done a formidable job. But the ace is Rekha, whose perf. is truly to the core of the character. She is shown her true potential here. If you have a long day and looking for pure entertainment in the nature of Song&Dance number, this is a movie to avoid, since the brute violence is baffling and lingers and lasts long after the movie.
SQJ
I had been really apprehensive with all the hype suroounding this flick. I have seen mixed to great reviews and was wondering how it will balance so many actors in 3 hour 5 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised. Every actor had their shining moment. Regardless of the length of their individual roles, every character was well defined and performed well. The movie is definitely flawed especially the climax. What the hell was RKS thinking with ladies throwing chappal sequence at Danny at the end -absolutely cliche and a crap idea. "Back to NewYork" at the end was a terrible idea as well. But I did like Santoshi's handling throughout of drama and comedy blend. He has said the movie he made should entertain - if he hadn't approached the subject as such he would have made a very depressing high budget art movie specially with Ramdulaari portions. I had heard reviews that the first part was slow but I had no problems whatsoever with it. I think the audience in the theatre felt the same. The second half was excellent up until the last 5-7 minutes which I already mentioned. Performances: My pick of the lot: Ajay Devgan was absolutely fantastic. I have never liked this guy and his recent flicks (YRHPK, RC, HKiK, DKK) have made me detest his acting and selection even more. But he reminded me so much of Amitabh in his youger angry young man roles. Not to compare him with Amitabh but to emphasize Devgan's dialogue delivery, his screen presence, his anger, the action - he had the audience memerized. I think he should do more hard hitting roles.Madhuri Dixit looked divine and acted brilliantly. She has come a full circle and stepped into veteran position in my books. This lady is a world-class performer and desrves full marks for her work here. I think she surpassed Mrityudand 10 times in this film because what she has done in Lajja has put her into the all time great actresses list. After the high marks that Madhuri receives for her performance you would think there would be no room to go beyond perfection? right? Well this place is what Rekha has achieved with Lajja. This, in my opinion, is Rekha's glory to cinematic immortality along with Umrao Jaan. Her work in Lajja is as good as the finest performances of legendary female artistes in bollywood or Hollywood. Her breakdown on finding out about her son's relationship and her pleading sequence before being raped and burnt is in one word - eh there is no word to describe it - Superlative, Perfect, Excellent do not do justice. This must be seen to understand. Manisha and Mahima? They are pretty good and have sequences where they both show their talents. They will get more chances in the future to demonstrate their greatness - they definitely are very talented. Anil Kapoor was very funny and very good but any actor will lose in praise in front of high drama. Unfortunately, this is what happens to Anil in Lajja. Anil Kapoor is such a great actor he is taken for granted. He is very cool and performs comedy sequences with aplomb - audiences loved him but he'll not be the first to be remembered in this film. Lagaan is still the perfect movie this year.
