Damini

Damini was a well made film that dealt with a woman's lone battle against a male dominated society to get justice for a rape victim. The film had some very powerful sequences in the second half, with Sunny Deol taking control. The film is remembered for its screenplay and direction and excellent performances from 3 actors,Meenakshi Seshadri, Sunny Deol and Amrish Puri. Director Rajkumar Santoshi combined a socially relevant subject with commercial ingredients to deliver one of the best films of the year.

Sunny Deol was easily the scene stealer. Although Rishi Kapoor was the main lead, he walked away with several awards, including the National award. Amrish Puri delivered a memorable depiction of the corrupt lawyer, Chadda. Rishi Kapoor was just about okay. Nadeem-Shravan came up with an average musical score. Meenakshi and Aamir Khan's pairing in the song Bin Saajan Jhoola Jhulu was refreshing.

Meenakshi Seshadri gave Damini everything she had and she truly shone in a performance of a lifetime. All who watched this film knew that the best actress trophy belonged to no one else in 1993, but her. She portrayed the role of Damini Gupta with complete conviction. Honestly, how Juhi Chawla won for Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke over Meenakshi in Damini, is a mystery that remains unsolved till date. I have lost all respect for Filmfare ever since!

Powerful acting. Even Sunny Deol in the second half rocks with 'taarik pe taarik' and my favorite 'dhai kilo ka haath' dialogues. His act as a drunk lawyer is brilliant. If more Indians watch this, crime and corruption would go down. Great movie, especially with Sunny. Amrish Puri makes a great villain, although he is humorous at times as the corrupt lawyer named Chadda (what a name)! Anyways, the point is to take the stand for what is right. Speak out people! It is your right, and nobody can ever take that away from you. I would watch this for Sunny Deol, as he is my favorite action star. A movie like this is really thought-provoking and meaningful.

Once in a while you see a film which you really enjoy and believe me, this is a film which everybody will enjoy. The plot isn't exactly original but it more than makes up for that in the cast assembled. The film stars Meenakshi Sheshadri, Rishi Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Kulbashan Kharbanda, Paresh Rawal and Amrish Puri. The director, Rajkumar Santoshi has assembled a great cast and there are some really powerful emotive scenes in the film. There is no doubt though who the star of the film is: Amrish Puri gives an absolutely epic performance as the corrupt barrister Indrajeet Chaddha. Some of his scenes are unbelieveable. Overall, this is one of those films which you can watch in front of the family. There are a couple of dodgy scenes, but nothing too powerful. I thoroughly recommend this film to everyone.

Damini Gupta (Meenaskshi Sheshadri) who comes from a middle-class family is seen by Shekhar, the son of wealthy Mr. Gupta, when he goes to a small hill-station town. He is captivated by her beauty and falls in love with her. Shekhar brings his father to meet Damini and her dad who is a post-master named Chandrakant. Mr. Gupta is charmed by the simple beauty and outright honesty of Damini, and they finalize Shekhar's and Damini's marriage, which is celebrated with great pomp and ceremony.

On day during the Indian festival of Holi, Damini catches Shekhar's brother called Rakesh and some of his friends in the act of molesting a maid servant and calls in aid of her husband. However they are to late. Rakesh makes off with the maid servant in a van.

Then the Gupta family conspire to cover-up this shameful incident. But Damini is unable to get this incident out of her mind, and finally decides to inform the police. She does so, and is instantly shunned by the Gupta family, and asked to leave the house. The police arrest Rakesh and three of his friends, and the matter is taken up in court, and Damini is asked to testify. Damini is portrayed by the Gupta family's lawyer, Indrajit Chhadha, as a mentally unstable person, with everyone from the Gupta family to her very own dad testifying to that effect. Damini is confined in an mental institution for two weeks by a judicial order. Mr. Gupta bribes the warden of the institution into permanently making Damini mad so that she is no longer a threat to Rakesh. And so Damini is made mad by shock treatment.

Meanwhile, Rakesh is scared that if Damini regained her senses she would be able to put him behind bars. Also seeing that Damini has no longer use of her mental faculties he would also be able to indulge himself with her. He plans to take her from the institution by making a deal with the warden.

During that fateful day, Damini who is gazing outside of her cell, witnesses an event that restores her mental faculties.

She barely manages to escape and runs being into a down-and-out alcoholic lawyer by the name of Govind (Sunny Deol) while being pursued by Rakesh and his friends. Govind is more than a match for Rakesh and his friends and scares them off.

Govind was a lawyer who gave up law when he failed to get justice for his wife who was killed in a hit and run accident. He does not believe in the justice system, but Damini's courage boosts him. He re-opens the rape case and starts his crusade against Mr. Gupta and family.

Will Govind succeed? Will Damini be united with her husband? Watch this blockbuster film by acclaimed director Raj Kumar Santoshi.

Damini can be summarized as the hallmark of 4 people - Meenakshi Sheshadri, Sunny Deol, Amrish Puri and of course, Rajkumar Santoshi. All of them are at their exhilarating best in this movie. Not many movies have given such ample scope to an actress in India. Meenakshi Sheshadri does a fabulous job in this.

Rajkumar Santoshi has done realistic and hard-hitting movies, this tops them all. If you thought Ghayal was wonderful, this is terrific. He continued the same trend with Ghatak. They Sunny Deol-Rajkumar Santoshi is the Indian version of Martin Scorsese-Robert DeNiro.

Amrish Puri is another deserving mention. No actor can portray a villainous role better than Puri saab. He excels here as the scheming and "partially-deaf" lawyer, Inderjeet Chaddha who has a habit of swaying his hair.

All the supporting cast were wonderful. I have always hated Rishi Kapoor as an actor (mainly because of those white pants, white shoes and dhol songs) apart from Bobby. But this is one movie in which he brings the depth and range of a Kapoor. Kulbhushan Kharbanda has always been a fantastic, but underrated actor. In fact, he has been underutilized even in this movie. Tinnu Anand is an excellent supporting act. Not to forget, the Hari Kaka has also done a good job (the final frozen shot of the movie).

I have kept this section for last deliberately - Sunny Paaji's National Award winning performance. Everyone knows Sunny Paaji's best performances have been in Rajkumar Santoshi's movies, but this performance can be talked only in superlative terms. As the drunk, disinterested yet smart lawyer, he delivers the performance of his life. Even if you are not a Sunny Deol fan, you will certainly become one after watching this. If you started watching Sunny Deol movies with movies like "Indian", "Jaal", etc, you have got a wrong start. Start with Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak.

A must watch movie, if you watch movies very closely for their depth and reality. My rating: 8/10.