LAJJA’’……………………….SITA’’S DAY OUT
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>’’Lajja’’, call it shame or humility, is a well
>crafted thinking matinee by Rajkumar Santoshi, an
>ace filmmaker with a touch of class. The caper
>can easily be stamped as a tribute to the
>Indian womanhood, which is intelligently reflected
>through the maverick eyes of Vaidehi ( Manisha
>Koirala) in the form of marital discords , gender
> wars, socio-economic inequalities, dowry system ,
>lower caste attrocities and so on.
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>Unable to accommodate with the hi-fi its my
>life attitude of her foreign husband ( Jackie
>Shroff handling his character with charming ease)
>she is dejected , rejected and despatched to her
>motherland only to find there are no takers for
>her. From here her journey begins meeting and
>confronting Raju ( Anil kapoor ) , Maithilee (
>Mahima choudhary )Janki ( Madhuri ), Ramdulari (
>Rekha) and Balwa ( Ajay Devgan) everybody their
>own stories and scores to settle.
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>Thoroughly compartmentalized , the director has
>efficiently tried to put across grim realities of
>our Indian social system , overlapping it with
>the right doses of comedy ( Johny lever never
>lets you down ) , humour ( Anil Kapoor as a small
>time thief with a golden heart ) , apt music
>score , and hardcore villainy ( Danny and co.
>keeping their flags high)
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>On the downside , the boxoffice prospects of the
>flick could be marred by its inordinate length ,
>the unpalatable wedding reception diluting a
>crash landing from the USA to India ( Jackie
>must have chartered a concorde ) , a minor fight
>of Anil Kapoor with a group of police baddies
>and the never ending bla-bla amongst the second
>line of character artistes . Secondly, the
>patchwork for the four ( uncountable) subplots
>seems to be jerky and at times tempt you for
>the nearest exit door of the hall . Thirdly , the
>male audience are taken for a free ride ,
>downsized and ridiculed intermittently hurting
>their egos considering themselves third grade
>citizens of the universe. The director seems to
>be unclear and inconclusive regarding his
>message . (Unlike ’’Meenakshi’’ in ’Damini -- where
>she had a definite cause to raise her
>voice) In the event the rural background of the
>concluding parts seems to have a documentary
>look. Again save Madhuri’s portion the audience
>is hardly comfortable with other episodes.
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>What saves the caper from a screaming phenomena
>are ----- a formidable music score by Anu Malik ,
> powerful dialogues by Santoshi and Ranjeet Kapoor
> and powerhouse of performances by the lead
>players.
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>On the happy side, a peppy score by Anu malik in
>the form of ’Aa jaiye’’ shot on a sizzling Urmila
> ( sung with gusto by Anuradha Sriram ), ’’Badi
>Mushkil ( a lethal hip swinging by Madhuri and
>Manisha ) and ’’Sajan ke ghar’ ( extraordinary shot
>taking with unlimited grace of Sonali Bendre ) do
> lend boxoffice support to the movie. Again an
>effective and punchy background score by Dr
>Illiyaraja deserve a mention here.
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>Touchwood , the movie demonstrates the limitless
> acting poweress by the principal players. Manisha ,
> the anchor , has given a high voltage emotional
>performance as a painful wife , dazed and amazed
>griefsricken observer and essaying a meaningful
>monologue in the end. Mahima has managed to be a
>scene stealer. Her impulsive outburst against her
>would be’’s is a treat to watch.
>
>Rekha the veteren actress has pulled off a
>stellar performance giving the contemperory
>actresses a run for their money. As a lower
>caste village midwife she has added tons of
>credibility to the character. Surely.an award
>winning performance. Ajay devgan is the dark
>horse . He has delivered a spotless crowdpulling
>performance. As a village dacoit he has given
>100% with his unfailing avadhi diction.
>Fortunately he is supplied with the best lines
>in the picture.
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>Ultimately , the enterprise belongs to Madhuri.
>Easily the best portions of the movie sizzle
>with her strong screen presence . Her body
>language and the chemistry is simply fantastic.
>Still fresh and vibrant, and with her million
>dollar smile , she essays the role of an
>alcoholic unwed woman with a touch of class.
>Positively, a display of rare acting ability in
>her second innings.
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>All in all, ’Lajja ’is worth a dekho for priceless
> performances , peppy music and hardcore social
>message.
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>scripted by
>Anand Potdar
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