Lakshmi

I was trying to catch Lakshmi but it proved to be really difficult. Firstly, it had a very limited release on rare screes and secondly, couldn't find a DVD as well. However, the wait was worth and I just watched one of the most realistic movie ever made in Hindi Cinema. Amazing performances by the actors. No words to describe it. Nagesh's subject for the film is one of a kind not witnessed in recent times. His direction is top notch as well but the second half drifts more towards hope than reality. Overall, an amazing thought provocative and introspective movie which forces you to rethink about the society you live in. Must watch.

Lakshmi movie is portraying the dark world in the most realistic way possible. The movie revolves around a 14-year old girl who was kidnapped and then come under the trap of human beings' inhuman activities. But unlike other girls also trapped in the same world, she never gave up the idea of punishing the culprits. Her goal was to eradicate everyone who was involved in trafficking. She was more courageous than any other girls of her age. The movie will convince you to come out and fight for justice and to strictly punish the wrong-doers.

Lakshmi is the story of titular character played by Monali Thakur, a 14-year-old girl who is abducted and sold trafficked into prostitution in a Hyderabadi brothel. The film is a harrowing account of the exploitation of young girls into prostitution. The portrayal of the brothel is an antithesis of the countless romanticised stories of what popular Hindi cinema used to show as courtesans, who dance and sing and who are overall very stereotypical filmi figures the kind of which you won't see here. The brothel is very much a real place which gathers some demonic humans who mercilessly trade young girls' bodies. The main madame, played by Shefali Shah, is testament to that, as she is a real person, who is cruel and kind in equal doses. She can be loving and caring one moment, and absolutely wicked and vicious the next, because that's what the job calls for, and she has a young daughter whose future depends on this very job. She is a very effective manager, as terrifying as it may sound, and Shah is brilliant in this difficult role, as usual.

Lakshmi is directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, who also plays the cruel trader and head of the brothel, along with his elder brother, Reddy, played by the great Satish Kaushik in a role that epitomises a wolf in sheep's clothing. Kukunoor does his best to give the brothel a horrific feel of authenticity, but while it could be mistaken as a realistic portrayal, it is much subtler than one would expect. The tough viewing is more due to the story itself, the characters and the dialogue, but the film remains quite clean and spares the viewers the horrid, disturbing pictures of films like, say, Bandit Queen. More than anything, the story takes a cathartic turn of events somewhere post interval where it turns into a standard courtroom drama which sadly isn't the most convincing you'll see. I think Kukunoor, being the director he is, could have done a better job with the material. The title character is played by the well-known singer. She does really well playing the girl's innocence and does look the part even if not exactly so young. The film is a good watch.

Note : This is a personal comment on the issue and not just a review. All opinions here are personal.

The plight of prostitutes and child sex workers has been strongly depicted.

Before I begin reviewing I would like to convey my feelings towards women. I respect and adore women. It's tough and painful to be women. Women bleed more in their lives. A girl bleeds when she matures to a woman, she bleeds when she has her first sexual intercourse, and she gives her blood and mass while becoming a mother. Additionally, she has to undergo a certain pain almost each month till her menopause. So, as such the anatomy of women is intricate and indeed it takes a lot of pain to bear the bleeding. In some cases, it can be a matter of life and death too. So, most women have multiple lives embedded in a lifetime. If we as humans subject a women to any further pain then it is simply inhuman. In the due course of the film, a girl is subjected to lot of pain, and thus the tag line "Are We Being Human" is rightly justified.

I am completely against prostitution, yet if it has to be an ailment in the society then better legalize it. I am all for the legalization of prostitution. Coz, only then women can claim the right stake and they need not have to live a life in disguise or fear. If they bargain a petty amount with their customer(animal) as of now, then post legalization they can demand the same and if that animal fails to pay, they can take some action. Firstly, they can live a legal life of dignity which is so much abhorred by the hypocritical society of India. So if sex workers or prostitutes have to be even considered as equal humans, their job must be legalized. This will keep the mafia and other dark forces out of this and I hope so that gradually forcing women into this kind of profession shall mitigate. Only after legalization, I believe they can claim their rights as girls and need not be put behind the bars for no fault of theirs.

Okay, now coming to the review, this is a film that is about child trafficking. The title is aptly put as Lakshmi. It indicates the irony of our society where when a girl is born, it is said, "ghar mein lakshmi aayi hai" (Lakshmi! the goddess of wealth has come home) and as the girl grows, she is sold by parents for money, to acquire wealth. Thus, the title and the name of the protagonist is rightly put and it is wonderful of Nagesh Kukunoor to have such thoughts and present them in a provocative way.

Acting by each and everyone is fine. The casting of Monali Thakur as Lakshmi is bang on. I am now a fan of this girl, who took the most challenging role in the recent times and played it with sensibility. Nagesh himself played as the villain. He was ruthless and terrific. Kudos to a director who can play a brutal negative role in his own film. The youth of a girl was raped and ravaged, there are moments that have haunted me and are lingering still in my mind.

The music was good. I loved two songs "Sun Ri Baavli" and "Sun Suguna Re". They will be on my playlist for long time. The editing was precise, cutting out the unnecessary elements, and yet sticking to the needed things, which are a need to be shown, only then will evocative emotions come out from the viewers. When we say "this should not be shown" it essentially means that the particular thing has made an impression on mind, you make like it or not is subject to choice of conscience.

There are movies made on this subject long back but I cannot recall one in last 10-15 years. This one is not for the weak hearted and it takes a lot of guts to see it in the first place. The makers and actors need a huge applause for presenting it. Great work team.

A 4/5 for the film. It's not flawless, and I will not be seeing it again, I wept badly after seeing this, and the scenes are still haunting. Perhaps, I will see only if it is a must. Yet, it is a must must see film, for those who are concerned about a girl child.

Nagesh Kukunoor has came a long way starting from hyderabd blues as a light film and then continuing with the likes of 3 deewarien and dor.

Lakshmi sits right in my the top 5 favorites bollywood movies from last year. It was wonderful to see that gruesome scenes, which will make your gut wrench, were shown with impeccable subtlety. The story, though fictionalized can be related to by any person and it doesn't exaggerate anything just for the sake of it.

A couple of songs thrown here and there merge right along with the plot and don't add to length unnecessarily.

All i have to say is that we should appreciate and promote such genuine work. We are so obsessed with star studded crap that such gems always get ignored.