Laaga Chunari Mein Daag Hindi Movie

Oct 12, 2007 By Ashok Nayak

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is the second directorial venture of Pradeep Sarkar of Parineeta fame.

The movie talks about the plight of one woman who takes up the responsibility of protecting and supporting her family.

It revolves around one former rich but now penniless conservative family living in Banaras. Shiv Shankar Sahay (Anupam Kher) an ex-pensioner buys lottery tickets in a hope to win some money to run his family. His wife Sabitri (Jaya Bachchan) who is always complaining manages to earn some money for their living by stitching petticoats. Badki (Rani Mukherjee) drops out of school in 10th grade as they couldn't afford the education. Chutki (Konkona Sen Sharma) the youngest in the family is the most loved and is kept untold about the misery of the family.

When things get worse Badki decides to go to Mumbai to make some bucks. Things take a dramatic turn in her life as she finds herself battling in the cruel and ruthless city of Mumbai. She pays the highest price in an attempt to not let poverty ruin her family's happiness and her sister's education. What happens when the family finds out about her secret life?

Unlike his first directorial venture, Sarkar fails to make an impact on the audience because of the flawed script. The first half of the movie is excellently told and keeps your emotions high. Sarkar has managed to put across the transformations in Badki's character in a convincing and touching way that at times we tend to care deeply for her. Especially when her mom asks her not to come home even for her younger sister Chitki's wedding ceremony, make one feel bad for her. Whatever she has transformed into is for the livelihood of the family and when her mom refuses to accept her presence under the same roof of their makes me wonder how selfish can one get for money and material gains?

The post interval portions turn slightly over dramatic and dull, especially the ending. This is just another run-of-mill sort of ending. In just few hours of being in each others company Abhishek falls head on heals in love with Rani that even her ugly life doesn't affect his decision even a bit? Um, sounds amateurish and very unlikely. Dialogues are good. Cinematography is first-rate. The locale of Banaras is shot beautifully.

When it comes to performance, Rani stands out compared to the rest of the cast. Not just because of the importance given to her role but because she carries it efficiently. Her performance in this movie could fetch her critical acclaims adding another feather to her already overfilled cap. Konkona Sen Sharma needs no words of praise. She enacts her part excellently well. Jaya Bachchan is superb.

Men play a very limited role in the movie. Anupam Kher is excellent. Kunal Kapoor as Vivaan is average and seems to be trying hard to appear natural. Abhishek Bachchan as Rohan carries his limited role with fineness. The rest of the cast was good.

Overall, you would be disappointed if you expect another quality flick like Parineeta. LCMD is a good product, but not without it share of flaws.

Rating – 2/ 5