Laaga Chunari Mein Daag
‘LAAGA AAINE MEIN DAAG’ IN ALL PROPHECY
By Vishal Verma

Rating:- * * & 1/2

What is it?
Pradeep Sarkar attempt at 1977 flick ‘Aaina’ though earnest, it lacks the intensity of a melodrama seen in such kind of flicks in 60,s 70,s. he tries to sync the 70’s drama in Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s outfits.

But alas! It fails to create that desired impact on the audience. The movie becomes predictable and you don’t have to be any Einstein or Newton to guess what will happen in the next few scenes. No need to carry handkerchiefs as the movie fails in moistening your eyes due to its predictability and though Rani does a splendid job but the writer director are unable to make the audience get involved in the proceedings.

But nevertheless the movie has traces of Pradeep Sarkar’s brilliance as a director but that is only for the initial moments.

The movie is a trademark Yash Raj flick having stupendous production values and Switzerland but bhatinda gets replaced by the land of Ganges.

And finally, marvelous performances by its lead actors, with Hema Malini as a pleasant surprise.  

Whats it all about?
Badki(Rani Mukherjee) and Chutki(Konkana Sen Sharma) living a fun-filled life in Banaras, playing pranks, sneaking off to see a forbidden mujra, and soaking up all the excitement that goes on the ghats of the Ganga. Badki is aware that the family is in dire straits, but she and her mother (Jaya Bachchan) protect Chutki at all costs. When things get worse, Badki decides to go to Mumbai and seek a living for the family. Alone and unsupported in the midst of the urban jungle of Mumbai, Badki battles with dark forces, keeping her focus on her purpose to support her family and continue Chutki's education.

She deliberately morphs into someone else, leading a secret life full of murky compromises. When Chutki comes to Mumbai to work, things take a dramatic turn. Badki's life turns into a minefield, as she has to hide her secrets from Chutki. Chutki finds success at work, and love that delights her heart. Badki finds the magic of love, but lets it slip away before it can blossom, as she believes it's not in her destiny. She battles menace and blackmail alone, not letting these dark shadows fall on Chutki or her family.

But her dual life is revealed, and the two sisters are face to face, in a confrontation neither had expected. And when love beckons Badki again, the whole family is thrown in a subdued melodrama which hardly makes any impact and the movie ends on a happy note!

What to look out for?
Performances mainly by the lead actors let’s take a look at one by one.

Rani Mukherjee has surely come up her age as an actor and delivers a marvelous performance. She was lucky to get the role of Badki which has all the shades and scope for an actor to deliver and she comes up with flying colours. But her seheri image should have been exploited more.

Konkana Sen Sharma again proves her mettle as a strong performer as she is quite spontaneous. 

Jaya Bachchan’s expressions remarkably capture the plight of a woman torn in between values and family. The actress delivers another noteworthy performance with all the grace and competency.

Anupem Kher gets a tailor made role and delivers. Kunal Kapoor excels.

Breathtaking camera work by Sushil Rajpal

Fantastic production values.

Pradeep Sarkar’s brilliance but only in bits and pieces mostly during the first few reels.

Shantanu Moitra’s music and lyrics by Swanand Kirkire has the flavour of the land of Ganges. In the numbers ‘Hum to aise hai Bhaiyaa’ and Kacchi Kaliyan’. Dialogues by Rekha Nigam having the true dialect of Banaras.

What Not?
The storyline and narration is very predictable. The pace is slower than a tortoise. The second half disappoints and drags unnecessarily. Abhishek is wasted.

Conclusion :  ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag’ is a let down by Pradeep Sarkar considering his earlier work in “Parineeta ’. The movie has a tough competition from “Bhool Bhulaiyaa’. But this is a much better effort than the mindless thriller and may pick up by word of mouth later as there are no major releases till Diwali.