Lajja is a movie on the oppression of women in India. This film is directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, who gave us a thundering Sunny in Damini and a hotchpotch bunch of oldies in China Gate.
Now this may sound odd……. this movie is ’’shunned’’ by both the classses and the masses alike, but what you are going to read here is another aspect of this movie as seen from my viewpoint. And this may not tally with the other reviews you have read or heard on this film so far.
The Movie……as seen
The film apparently revolves around Vaidehi (Manisha Koirala) who is trying to run from her husband (Jackie Shroff), a rich, womanizing flirt. On her journey, she meets a charade of women who are being oppressed by men in one way or another.
Mythili (Mahima Choudhary) is asked for dowry on the day she is getting married to her beau. Eventually, a petty thief (Anil Kapoor) comes to her rescue.
Janki (Madhuri Dixit), a theatre actress, is ditched by her boyfriend (Samir Soni) when he learns that she is bearing his child.
Ramdulari (Rekha) is raped and burnt alive by the Thakur (Danny Denzongpa) when he realises that his daughter is coochicoo-ing with Ramdulari’s son.
Vaidehi wades through all this, with a lot of anxiety and terror, and a baby in tow, and finally renders a heart-wrenching speech to arouse the ’’man’’ in every woman who rise up in arms against the Thakur.
What are u guys thinking???…..sick???…..read on!!
The Movie……as percieved
The film actually revolves around Sita, the wife of Lord Rama. Sita , the epitome of suffering insult and distrust from her husband, who ultimately laid down her life to prove her loyalty and sanctity.
Notice…all the women protagonists have names synonymous to Sita……Mythili, Vaidehi, Janki, Ramdulari.
The crux of the movie is delivered by Janki, while enacting the Ramayana. She plays Sita, and is just dumped by her beau. She questions the basics of the entire story to arouse the ire of the audiences.
Some basic questions laid down by her…
Rama has only defeated Ravana physically, Sita already defeated him in Ashokvatika by destroying his confidence.
Rama was exiled, not Sita…she wasn’t commited to follow him into the jungle. But she did.
Lakshman cut Shoorpanakha’s nose, why did Sita suffer for his deeds?
After all this, does Sita deserve this………accusation and punishment.
Why is Sita accused of infidelity, why not Rama, who also has lived apart.
Another aspect depicted well, is the drowning of a girl child in milk as an offering to God in return for a boy. Ramdulari, the ’’dai’’ questions this fact rather well too.
Why is the girl child drowned? What if the mother of the man who’s doing this was drowned similarly? Would he live to do this?
Why is the girl child a burden? Doesn’t she help sharing the burden of life with a guy?
This is what our society needs, questioning the basics. Why are women always taken for granted, why are they supposed to be loyal and binding to the man when the man can afford to be infidel.
Such and similar questions are what drive me towards liking the concept…….not the film!
The Movie……the hypocrisy
Now here’s why I DON’’T like this film……….its hypocritical
On one hand , Santoshi talks of womens’ rights and liberation while on the other, uses theme dances with scantily clad bimbettes gyrating seducingly to pull the crowds.
The numbers by Sonali Bendre and Urmila Matondkar are sick and unwarrantly for.
The most vocal protagonist, Janki , also breaks into a ’’jhatka’’ number, totally defeating the concept she advocates.
The Conclusion
All in all, the concept is what is good, not he movie. Had this idea been handled by a more sensitive director like Shyam Benegal, it would have been presented better and justice would be meted out.
The film is an act of hypocrisy, contradicting itself time and again, and insulting the very attempt to leading the oppressed Indian women to liberation.
The film didn’t work for one reason only, malhandling.