User reviews

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.

I saw Lajja on opening night August 31,2001 at a theatre in nearby Diamond Bar. I was drawn to the movie by Rajkumar Santoshi's name, because generally he makes fairly good movies. Anu Malik's name as the composer was also an attraction. Rajkumar Santoshi did not disappoint me. He presented the subject in a fairly compelling way and did not deviate too much to accommodate "entertainment". Once again he did not use all the songs that featured on the film's audiocassette and CD, which will adversely affect the movie at the box-office.His father,P.L. Santoshi who was himself a famous lyricist before he became a film director, knew the importance of songs in an Indian movie. Rajkumar Santoshi, ever since his Ghayal became a hit without the support of music, has tended to ignore music and not give it the centrality it deserves in the Indian cultural context. He could not take advantage of even Nadeem- Shravan in Damini or of A.R. Rahman in his last movie Pukar. At least in the latter he took eminent lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri and also Javed Akhtar (for one number). Here he relies on overworked and mediocre Sameer.The music department(with even the theme song cut out), therefore,is nothing to write home about. Will someone urge him not to repeat the same mistake over and over again?

But despite these drawbacks, which are quite serious, the movie works because of its laudable theme, Rajkumar Santoshi's good direction and some good writing too. But here too one fails to understand why a good director of Santoshi's calibre should take upon himself the added burden of writing the screenplay and the dialogue. Bollywood has plenty of good writers who would be happy to work for a director like Santoshi.

Overall, it's a good movie.That's why I am giving it an 8 out of 10.

Now a word about the advertising.It is publicised as a movie with three heroes and three heroines whereas the story concerns only one pair played by Manisha Koirala and Jackie Shroff. The rest just come and go.It should have been advertised as just a Manisha Koirala-Jackie Shroff starrer. There should have been no mention of the other famous names who are just guest stars in the movie. Like Salman Khan was not mentioned in the advertising of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and that worked great for the movie.Lajja could have benefited tremendously from the presence of Madhuri Dixit, Anil Kapoor, Rekha and Ajay Devgan if their names had not been advertised and the public discovered them for the first time in the theatre on opening night.

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.

On 7th July 1999, Siya Dulari, a lower caste woman was burnt alive (after a supposed gang-rape) in Bhawanipur, a small village in Uttar Pradesh (Kanpur Dehaat). As per the statement issued by the police, she was abducted and held captive for a week before the heart-wrenching treatment rendered to her by the accused people of upper caste. The guilt of Siya Dulari was that her teenager son had eloped with a teenager girl belonging to an upper caste in their neighbourhood. Her husband, fearing for such a backlash from the side of the upper castes, had already run away to save his life, leaving her alone. Till date, it is not known whether the perpetrators of this ghastly murder got the punishment they deserved or not. But this end of that poor woman remained in news for a long time and then was forgotten like all stale news.

This incident which was nothing but an illustration of the caste divide in (Northern) India where the lower caste ones are time and again reminded to stay in their place through such acts (in which the females of the downtrodden communities are the main sufferers), instigated filmmaker Raj Kumar Santoshi to make a movie covering this crime and highlight the plight of not only the lower caste women but the womenfolk in general in the Indian society as a whole. The result came in the form of Hindi movie - Lajja (2001).

Lajja (shame) is a cluster of female-oriented tales in which Vaidehi (Manisha Koirala) is the connecting link. She runs away from a troubled marriage involving a cruel and abusive NRI husband (Jackie Shroff). Finding that she has no place in her parental home also, she being pregnant, runs for her life and the life of her unborn child as the clutches of her husband are following her and in this journey, comes across troubled women like her, viz. Maithili (Mahima Chaudhary), Jaanaki (Madhuri Dixit) and Raam Dulari (Rekha), each one of them facing different issues with the common thread being the suffering due to being a female. In this men's world where they are the predators preying on those women who are conscious of their right and dignity and pronounce it too, these women come across some golden-hearted men too, viz. A thief (Anil Kapoor) and a bandit (Ajay Devgan). The final episode of the movie is the tale of Raam Dulari (modeled on the tragedy of the real life Siya Dulari).

Raj Kumar Santoshi has considered the mythological Sita as the quintessential and eternal example of a suffering woman in a patriarchal social set-up. That's why he has named the suffering women of his story as Vaidehi, Maithili, Jaanaki and Raam Dulari (all being synonyms of Sita). Only Maithili succeeds in emerging as triumphant (after a lot of drama) as she discards her dowry-based wedding. Vaidehi also gets a happy end to her woes when her abusive and chauvinistic husband has a change of heart and both of them return to the beginning point of this story (to live happily ever after). Jaanaki and Raam Dulari are not that lucky.

Personally, I found the episode involving Jaanaki being the strongest and the most impactful in which she twists the Raamayan scene being performed on the stage (herself playing Sita) and instead of giving Agni Pariksha, asks Ram to give Agni Pariksha to prove his 'purity'. However for the climax of the movie and (also the denouement of Raj Kumar Santoshi's narrative), the extremely tragic episode of Raam Dulari (which only had laid the foundation for making of this movie) only fits the bill.

Technically, the movie is quite good. Art direction, cinematography, choreography and action; all are up to the mark. It's excessively long but definitely it's not the fault of the editor. Music of Anu Malik and Illaiyaraaja (composed one song and prepared the background score) is good with the lyrics being meaningful and apt for the story. Acting wise speaking, none of the actors (including very young Sharman Joshi as Raam Dulari's son and debutante Aarti Chhabria as his upper caste girlfriend) has disappointed. All (including those playing the baddies) have played their parts well. Ajay Devgan appears to be miscast as a deadly bandit because he looks too slender to be that. However he has made up for that by his good acting.

The trouble of Lajja lies with its script and direction. Had Raj Kumar Santoshi made an independent movie solely on the real life tragedy of Siya Dulari, it would have been better (for him as well as the audience). But by packing too many women-centric social issues in his script, he has made it cumbersome. The movie has become too long to be endured by the spectators and thus its entertainment value and inspirational (or social awakening) value, both have got diluted. That's why the movie impresses in patches only. Jackie Shroff's wearing designer suits throughout the narrative (while chasing his runaway wife) is ridiculous. The baddies (and many events involving them) are totally filmy. And Ajay Devgan as the Desi Robin Hood is also totally unreal and out of place in the movie.

And the most filmy thing is the denouement in which Vaidehi delivers a long (and melodram koatic) speech on women-suffering and women-lib (after gatecrashing the felicitation ceremony of Raam Dulari's perpetrator) and then the result comes in the form of mob justice. A crowd of women thrashes the baddies by footwear and then they are eliminated. That may be enough for our socially awake filmmaker but is that enough to uproot the centuries old male-bias against the second sex in a majority of human-societies ? The movie was released in 2001 but even after two decades, have we seen any improvement in the situation ? No ! We have been seeing deterioration instead since then. Crimes against women have been and are on the rise only. Utterly simplified filmy solutions to grave social problems are an insult not only to the themes chosen for such movies but also to the intellect of the audience.

Summing up, Raj Kumar Santoshi has presented second rate tales of the second sex in Lajja which itself is a shame (Lajja). He could not make a box office grosser despite using all the tried and tested formulas. Nor could he do justice to the noble theme of the movie. Nevertheless, this movie is not a trash and should be watched to sensitise ourselves to the heart-piercing sufferings of our womenfolk.

© Copyrights reserved.

Santoshi is one of the few Indian directors who can touch the reality to its core. The story of the character played by Rekha is based on true story, but all the other stories are also very much based on true stories to some extent. Technically the film is great. Scenes to watch out for: Mahima kicking the 'baratis' @$$. Madhuri's (one of her best performances to date) well, her complete part is gripping right from where she's introduced dancing to Madhubala's 'Jab pyaar kiya to darna kya' to where she cries out her heart for loosing her child. Rekha pleading for help while the villains try to rape her (specially whn she mentions that one of the guy was like his son). There are many many scenes in the film worth an applause. all the actors (including character actors) are amazing. Anil Kapoor is worth mentioning. His character gave a little comic relief in this tragic story along with Jonny Lever.

I absolutley loved this movie. No doubt Lajja will become a masterpiece. Manisha Koirala, Mahima Chaudhary, Rekha, and Madhuri Dixit give such memorable performances in this film. The dance numbers with Urmila Matondker and Sonali is wonderful.

Lajja is a story of four women and thier struggle in men's society. It is a story of survival.

The core message is strong, the cast has given it their best shot, the packaging is excellent, but the screenplay is seriously over-dramatized and every cliche in the book on women's suffering in India has been over-used to the max.

This film about the plight of women in india is indeed deeply disturbing and angry.Shock value and ultra realism have been used to the max. The world needs to wake up and understand the plight of women in more conservative societies, and in general.The film has been well shot and the acting is of a high standard, though right from the scene where Madhuri dixit is shunned by all through to Rekhas brutal rape the film seems to leave a bad taste that sort of leaves you feeling very shaken up indeed. this film is not for the faint hearted or those who want as a close a look as they can at the plight of women in india.This movie wasn't enjoyable and I don't think it was meant to entertain even though there are some lighter moments in the film. I would give this a 7 out of 10. not bad not entirely brilliant either.

This movie is very gripping and strong. It portrays a sense of loneliness yet unity among women. In other words, a woman (Manisha) feels neglected and goes on a journey to escape it. On the way, she finds women in similar situations and Manisha sees how they handle it. The woman Manisha portrays wants to prove that all women are united and just don't know how to express their feelings of neglect in a way that men and society will not condemn them. The characters in this movie are totally independent albeit linked. Manisha was a little unbalanced at first but as the movie continued her character became stronger and more patriotic. She seemed to be in search of self identity and whether she can escape prying eyes of men. Rekhaji was the most dominant character. She showed that even elder women are subjected to harassment. Her part left the audience wondering if there is any justice for women. Maduri was really interesting. Her role was vivacious yet serious. Mahima was also wonderful. She was given a small role yet powerful. Ajay Devgan balanced the movie. He wanted to show that not every man wants women to be treated like this. The movie is a little slow but the direction was well rounded and beautiful. It is a little biased but when Ajay Devgan enters he balances the equation. A couple of the songs were melodious and it was integrated with the story making it hard to fast forward some of the slow parts. Each scene tends to take some time to come to the point but the climaxes were well done.

This is got to be a classic of Hindi cinema. It is so well done, technically and performance-wise and the selection of the top-class female cast alone is a reason to like this film. But most of all it did an outstanding job of taking on a serious issue and yet produce a powerful work of art that shines.

Right from the start, it is chilly, that cry of Ramdulai and the sari floating in the wind. This nightmare dream makes it clear that this is not going to be fun. The most disturbing events are shot in a frightening detail, but this is not a plain documentary like Bandit Queen, but is more elaborate as a movie for the common people. Thus the message is deeply moving but still bearable even to the more sensitive audience. The comedy and the action are well executed to lighten up the message, but they never become a purpose in themselves, and they always help in delivering the message of humanity, empowerment, and hope. Marvelous, simply marvelous!

I give this a 10/10 without the slightest doubt. It outshines even the greatest movies of recent years, such as Pinjar, Lagaan or Swades, Earth, Mission Kashmir, Roja, Bombay, and Dil Se. But Lajja is not for everyone. As a westerner I will say especially that this is not a beginner's film to Hindi cinema. If you don't have a fundamental love for India (yet), you should not watch this, instead watch Swades or Lagaan first.

In many ways, Lajja is a knock-out. As a mainstream Hindi film, it is highly theatrical but also quite powerful, intense, and fascinating, even if like many films of the genre, it's melodramatic, overlong, has some bad action sequences, and not always rings true. The film tells the story of a runaway wife who flees her cruel husband. It turns into a road movie of sorts which unfolds in three chapters, each presenting the story of a woman. Strong women, powerful women, the sort of women who were feminist before the term feminism was coined, and before some people started dealing with nonsense in the name of it. For the kind of style the film adopts, the dialogue is exceptional, and each chapter is gripping and involving. It just works like a very good quality play.

The first chapter is generally very enjoyable. It is a witty and humorous commentary on the Indian wedding system, providing a great glimpse into the weddings of ultra-traditional Indian families, exploring in minute detail the truth behind the glamour and celebration. The groom's father is awaiting to obtain the dowry, and the bride's father is anxiously nervous, checking that everything is intact and making sure his daughter's price is ready until the ceremony begins, in worry that if it is not done in time, his daughter will be abandoned right before the ritual for everybody to see, and his own honour will be trampled to shame. This segment, while resorting to sentimentality in some portions and having far too many attempts at comedy which at times do not flow well with the story, is funny and sad in equal parts, and is ultimately inspiring, for its way of showing how someone could summon up the courage and stand for their family's dignity without fear of losing their own. The second chapter tells the story of a racy theatre actress who has an affair with a married man and who lives her life according to her own terms. The third story, which is said to have been based on the true story of a woman from Assam, is set in a very primitive village where Ramdulari, the mother of all villagers, whose son makes the fatal mistake of falling in love with the landlord's daughter and actually dating her, with Ramdulari's story culminating in the film's most terrifying scene.

Santoshi presents us with a list of female characters, all of whom are modern-day versions of Hindu mythological goddesses, and their characters, in chronological order are, Maidavi, Maithili, Janki and Ramdulari. Each character is presented in an episode of its own and is related as seen through the eyes of Manisha. Each episode aims to convey critical messages of feminism, celebrating the existence of women and addressing their empowerment. Each sequence shows a transformation in which the protagonist decisively makes a place in the sun in a brave act of demanding to be respected. Yes, it sounds very shallow and formulaic and, indeed, Santoshi does tend to go a little bit too far in his attempt to make his feminist point, but as frankly stated by Santoshi himself, Lajja is aimed at the wide Indian audience. He adds the most familiar commercial ingredients of Hindi cinema, including item numbers and typical action scenes which take away from the film's realistic mood, and yet the movie works for its intensity and brutally honest depiction of so many of the issues it deals with that they are easily forgotten and forgiven. Even the most melodramatic sequences are true to the context and seem more or less appropriate. The film's flaws are easily recompensed by proceedings that are equally realistic and powerful, by fantastic dialogues, by great songs, by several comic sequences which lend comic relief, and most importantly by superb acting.

And speaking of acting. The film's main protagonist is Manisha Koirala, who is very good but, in a way, serves as the background for the more interesting stories of the other players. The three players are Mahima Choudhry, Madhuri Dixit, and Rekha, each leading her respective chapter. The supporting cast includes Jackie Shroff, surprisingly not in his element as Koirala's husband, although the role is a caricature so not much could have been done. Anil Kapoor, however, is an absolute hoot in a highly enjoyable comic performance which provides fantastic relief in a most tense first chapter. Ajay Devgan is similarly excellent, and his action sequences are quite fun even if not very realistic. Mahima Chaudhry is impossibly beautiful but she also matches her gorgeous looks with a lively act and a very convincing monologue at the end of the chapter. It's too bad she never got her due. Madhuri Dixit, in one of her best and most mature roles, does a stupendous job as the feisty actress who bravely defies tradition and stands for what she believes and fights for justice. Dixit's charismatic screen presence is indeed one of the film's prime assets.

But the main thing that will tug at your heartstrings and remain with you after the show is over is the powerhouse performance by Rekha, whose fiery, heartfelt portrayal is so indescribably amazing that no words would do it justice. In less than 30 minutes of screen time Rekha delivers one of the finest performances of her career, capturing every bit of her character's essence and making it hard to believe it's an actress playing a role. She just becomes Ramdulari. At first, she provides comic relief with her usually brilliant comic timing, but it is the latter portions of her part that leave you wordlessly disturbed. She plays some of the most difficult scenes with such unsettling intensity that anyone watching would have chills down their spine. Her emotional outbursts show acting at its deepest expressive level; they are so real and horrifying that I'm sure many viewers would prefer to look away to avoid witnessing such heartbreaking pictures. This is one of the best performances I've seen in any film of any time, delivered by a lady who once again proves she is an acting legend in a league of her own and one of the best actresses in India's cinematic history.

Lajja is overlong and watching it in one go will require patience. As said above, several attempts are made to relieve the tension. A sensuous number with the sexy Urmila Matondkar, and a graceful traditional wedding song with Sonali Bendre, are very effective, but unsurprisingly, the best dance number is Madhuri's "Badi Mushkil". The film's biggest flaw may be the ending, which is disappointing. It may be relieving, but it looks awfully contrived and sugarcoated. That being said, much is forgivable in view of the film's great advantages and entertainment value, and especially the great acting.

From the best movies I've ever seen, showing reality in some communities, or at least a fraction of reality, and how women everywhere are oppressed.

Her Excellency Great Madam Urmila Matondkar has performed the best song of her life time.

Aaye ye Aajaiye. Music is very good.

His Excellency Great Mr. Jackie Shiroff has done very well in this song.

An excellent song.

Thanks and Regards.

I must admit I expected more from Raj Kumar Santoshi. While this film is being praised in some circles, I found it tedious and sermonizing. The acting is over-the-top, barring some fine work by Ajay Devgun. The actresses are all good woman oppressed by an unjust society. Almost all the male figures (barring our three heroes) are vicious caricatures. The scenes at Mahima's wedding are almost too much to bear. I understand the social value of such films, but surely they shouldn't be THIS black and white. Madhuri shines in a brief appearance and makes the proceedings partially palatable.

Overall 3/10