LAKSHMI- Subhash K Jha review Pg. 2 - Page 3

Movie Review: Lakshmi not for the faint hearted

Director: Nagesh Kukunoor

Cast: Monali Thakur, Satish Kaushik, Shefali Shah, Nagesh Kukunoor, Ram Kapoor

Rating: Two

It's not for the faint hearted. If you are looking for entertainment then Nagesh Kukunoor's extremely disturbing film Lakshmi about the menace of child prostitution is not something you should be heading the theatres for. Also, if you do not have the stomach to digest brutally graphic violent scenes, you may not want to spend that Rs.200 on a multiplex ticket, where this film is most likely to find a limited release.

Yet, Kukunoor and his co-producer Elahe Hiptoolah's brave effort to delve into a subject of this kind is laudable. At a desolate location in a forest when girls who have barely reached puberty are lined up by Chinna (Nagesh Kukunoor), you already have guessed the doom that awaits the prettiest girl in the group, Lakshmi (Monali Thakur). She is singled out by Reddy Garu (Satish Kaushik), a rich, powerful influential man in a small village in Andhra Pradesh to be taken home. Therein also lies the problem. You have guessed it already. There is nothing revelatory or insightful that Nagesh offers about the tragic lives of prostitutes. As a result the first half of the film which tracks Lakhmi's forcible journey into prostitution, although painfully troubling is not at a story level enthusing.

The film is based on a true-story of the first convicted case of child prostitution in Andhra Pradesh. Kukunoor's film is inspiring for it brings to light the valiant effort that Lakshmi puts forth into dragging her perpetrators to the court. It highlights the intense hardship, pressure and indignity she has to go through to ensure the guilty are punished.

Kukunoor's manner of the showing you the sordidness of Lakshmi's plight is to bombard you with images of extreme graphic violence and scenes which are cringe worthy. The kind which will want you to throw up or close your eyes at the torture the protagonist is going through. In a particularly disturbing scene when Lakshmi is running high fever and has suffered a deep wound on her leg, when she is barely alive, you are shown that she is forced to service six to seven clients in one night. You are left wondering does the director have to show this? Could he have not been less brutal and suggested the violence than actually asking you to stomach it?

The good part is that the film does not degenerate into hyperbolic courtroom fight towards the climax. Yet, the way the courtroom proceedings take place, they do not elicit strong response in you as a viewer.

Luckily, Kukunoor is supported by a team of good actors. Of the cast, Shefali Shah is brilliant in her dual role of an evil-kind madam of the brothel. Satish Kaushik is successful in making you want to hate him with his restrained villainy. As the scheming pimp Kukunoor is flat and is not the best actor of the movie. Monali Thakur impresses you in a role that must have been undoubtedly very tough to essay. Her expressive eyes and her innocent face stay with you after the film is over. Lakshmi is not a film that can be recommended easily to everyone but Monali Thakur, the singer (She sang the dulcet Sawar loon in Lootera) turned actor is definitely someone to watch out for.

Review: Lakshmi is a shocking eye-opener

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Lakshmi is the kind of story that we don't want to hear, which is exactly why we must hear it, writes Paloma Sharma.

Chinna Reddy is a violent man.

As a pimp, it is his job to keep his investments' in line.

As younger brother to local powerbroker and trafficker Ram Reddy, he must provide the choicest of these investments to his older sibling.

He buys women, sells women and finds time to exploit them along the way.

His weapon of choice is a long, broad stick with spiky nails at one end and he is not afraid to wield it. None dare question him and, with the police and the courts in his brother's pocket, he fears no one.

Chinna Reddy's life is going just fine -- until Lakshmi comes along.

Lakshmi (Monali Thakur), who is just 14, has been bought, sold and introduced to the dark underbelly of our civilisation. Though she is repeatedly raped and abused, Lakshmi never stops fighting back. Even as she is forced to become one of Chinna's prostitutes, Lakshmi remains unbreakable and hell-bent on fulfilling the promise she made to Chinna -- that she would run away and be free once again.

With society and its guardians -- moral and otherwise -- against her, will Lakshmi be able to escape a hell whose key hangs on Chinna's belt?

If I am to be honest, I have to tell you that no one would go willingly into a cinema hall if it were playing Nagesh Kuknoor's Lakshmi -- which is precisely why the government of India should make it a mandatory watch (and, if miracles do exist, watch it themselves).

Lakshmi is a mirror.

It reminds us of the other India that crawls in the dark shadows of our towering skyscrapers. It is a world where survival comes before intangible ideas like honour and respectability.

Lakshmi is the kind of story that we don't want to hear, which is exactly why we must hear it.

Doe-eyed, petite Monali Thakur seems the perfect choice to play a 14-year-old small town girl but during scenes that show the aftermath of abuse, it seems like Thakur just refuses to emote.

Satish Kaushik is a complete misfit as Ram Reddy aka Reddy Garu. Kaushik can do everything -- he can be cruel, he can be kind, he can be horrifyingly violent as well. But the one thing he cannot do is shed that typical North Indian accent. If you're lucky, you won't pick it up. But if you do, it does end up taking away from Reddy's character, who is supposed to belong to Andhra Pradesh.

Flora Saini surprises as Lakshmi's roommate Swarna. Swarna teaches Lakshmi the tricks of the trade, ensuring Lakshmi's survival but the teacher clearly outshines the student. Saini is self-assured and does not shy of giving the film her all. She makes Flora someone you've met or are friends with.

As opposed to the overly-sexualized and fantasy-driven portrayals of women enslaved in the flesh trade, Saina -- with the help of the whole Lakshmi team -- makes you see how the women who paint their faces every night and beckon you from the windows of the brothel are just as human as you are.

However, the show truly belongs to Nagesh Kuknoor and Shefali Shetty.

It is extremely difficult to believe that the heavily bearded, unwashed man who played Chinna could be the same as the clean-shaven director with hard, questioning eyes who appears at the end of the credits.

Chinna is an animal. Jyoti (Shefali Shetty) is his favourite prey.

She runs the Dharam Vilas Girls' Hostel, which is really a brothel owned by the Reddy brothers. She has a daughter who does not know what her mother does for a living. Jyoti protects Lakshmi as much she can, much to Chinna's annoyance. They push each other time and time again, waiting for the other to break... whoever breaks first will determine Lakshmi's fate.

Ram Kapoor makes an appearance as Avinash, an honest lawyer recovering from a nervous breakdown. Avinash must battle his own fears if he wishes to help Lakshmi, but Lakshmi is awkward around him. To her he is just another man, one who will hurt her sooner or later. But Kapoor brings much-needed hope to the film.

Lakshmi starts off slowly and builds up into a disturbingly graphic tale that is not afraid to be honest to the point of being brutal. Kuknoor hides nothing. He makes excuses for no one. All he asks is one simple question (you must have seen it written in bold, yellow letters on a red background): Are we being human?

It is difficult to watch Lakshmi. It gives you a headache inside the theatre. It gives you nightmares when you go home.

Take a box of tissues along for this one. It isn't so much the visuals as it is the soundtrack will reduce you to tears.

As a film, Lakshmi may not be perfect. For example, the scene where Lakshmi is swinging carelessly, her eyes revealing her naivety as she tilts her head in wonderment has been repeated over and over as a flashback to the point of annoyance. There are times when dialogues revealing information about characters pop up out of the blue and conversations become awkward.

Yet, films like Lakshmi are the need of the hour.

The worst part of Lakshmi is that it isn't just a story. When you come out of it, you will forever be plagued by the knowledge that evil does exist in this world and we, as a society, are only enabling it.

Rediff Rating:

Though the film revolves around human trafficking, I think one of the plus point of the film is all the sex scenes shown in the film are suggestive which makes it bearable but still you need to have a lot of courage to watch it..there are some scenes where the violence on the protagonist is in your face. So it's definetely not for the faint hearted.

Kudos to directors like Nagesh Kuknoor for making films like Lakshmi and thinking more about the society than box office collections!
Too bad, the theatre where I went to watch the film only had 11 people!

The story is plain and simple but the way the screenplay has been written makes it very hard hitting.

Would again repeat, without bias of any sorts, the film wouldn't have been the same without Monali. The innocence in her eyes that she converts in confidence in the second half is tremendous! She has a very bright future ahead!

Tapas Relia has done a beautiful job with the soundtrack. The songs are melodious and the lyrics are meaningful. My favorite is Aa Ghar Chalein by Monali and Sun Ri Bavli by Papon.

Would give the film 4/5. One extra mark only for Monali and Shefali Shah. There's a scene with Shefali and Nagesh during the climax of the film which will haunt me forever!

Expectations:

Just before the rise of multiplex era a small film called, 'Hyderabad Blues' released. There were no known faces and yet the film was a hit and became a decent hit due to the new age type of Indian cinema attached to it. People loved this director - actor Nagesh Kukunoor and looked forward to his forthcoming films. He gave few more great films like 'Rockford', 'Bollywood Calling', '3 Deewarein', 'Aashayein' along with 'Iqbal' and 'Dor', which are like among his best works. But like every other directors Nagesh too had his share of few weak and bad films like 'Bombay To Bangkok', 'Hyderabad Blues 2', '8x10 Tasveer' and few more, where his directorial abilities went for a toss. Nevertheless, whenever this director gave a weak or bad film he sprung back with another good or a great film. Thus, expectations rose up with his latest film 'Lakshmi' which is based on a true story and has already been acclaimed at film festivals. However, as the saying goes that 'all that glitters is not gold', similarly films appreciated in film festivals may not be a good film as per our Indian audience's taste. So, let's find out whether 'Lakshmi' will stand up to the expectation levels and merits attached to it or might join among Nagesh's weak films due to low publicity, less known star cast and dull marketing.

Story:

'Lakshmi' is a true story based on the life of a teenage girl Lakshmi (Monali Thakur), who is dragged into the dark world of prostitution by the Reddy brother's (Nagesh Kukunoor & Satish Kaushik). Lakshmi goes through lots of physical and emotional torture until one fine day when she decides to seek legal action against the people attached to this whole racket. What happens next is what the entire film is all about.

Screenplay & Technicalities:

The story starts with some similarities to 'Salaam Bombay', but on totality is different and is engaging from the first scene itself. Nagesh takes us through the physical and mental torture of its main protagonist, which is depressing and disturbing. His direction style makes you restless and anxious, as he succeeds in involving your feelings for his main character's trauma. There are some hard hitting scenes like Monali getting raped for the first time, Shefali guiding Monali over her injuries, Nagesh hitting Monali, Ram Kapoor shows sex tapes in court followed by him asking questions to doctor, Nagesh torturing Shefali, corporator bribing Monali and a few more. Many of these scenes have been told in the boldest manner we have seen in our Hindi films. On the flip side, there are times when the film starts looking a bit unrealistic as the drama takes over. In addition, the middle portions of the film are flat and disjointed. The court matters are shown very easily, which should have been on lines of films like 'Shahid' and few more. Also the gore part might not go well with the family audience. The cinematography is good and helps in going under the skin of the film.

Music & Direction:

Music might not be popular, but songs like 'Sun Ri Baavli' & 'Sun Sugana Re' goes well with the flow of the film. The background music is soothing and at the same time haunts you.

'Lakshmi' is the boldest and darkest film made by director Nagesh Kukunoor. Most of his films made earlier were comical or slice of life or emotional feel good types films, but with 'Lakshmi' he shows his evolved side which comes at par with many of today's directors know for making hard hitting realistic types of films. He highly succeeds in matching your emotions with the feel of the film. The only problem was his casual approach in the courtroom scenes, which diluted the impact of the film.

Performances:

Monali Thakur looks cute and her sweet looks work in favor of the film. Due to this kiddish charm, you start to feel for her agony and pain. She struggles a bit in her hard-hitting scenes. Shefali Shah looks gorgeous and does her part with total grace. Nagesh Kukunoor in his negative avatar is mind blowing. Flora Saini adds the charm to her character. Satish Kaushik and Vibha Chibber lend good support. Ram Kapoor was good but could have been much better.

So bol meri 'Filmi Khopdi' iss film mein kitna hain Dum?

Dum? Well this real life hard-hitting story has lots of dum on content, theme and performance basis. The movie might not appeal to mass audience or all those who are weak at heart, but for those who love intense drama then 'Lakshmi' will turn out to be dark, disturbing, realistic yet a must watch film for all of them.

• Ratings : 3.75/5

Movie : Lakshmi

Cast : Monali Thakur, Shefali Shah, Ram Kapoor, Nagesh Kukunoor, Satish Kaushik

Director : Nagesh Kukunoor

Genre : Biography/Drama

Duration : 1 hr 92 mins

Critic Rating : 3.5 stars

Story

A small town girl in Andhra Pradesh, Lakshmi (Monali Thakur) is being sold off to Chinna (Nagesh Kukunoor) and Reddy (SatIsh Kaushik) by her father. Lakshmi is forced to live as a sex worker at a brothel and is forced into prostitution, suffering pain and extreme anguish. She attempts to escape from the brothel but fails miserably. Finally, Lakshmi is rescued by a local NGO and it is then that she decides to fight back by filing a complaint against Chinna and Reddy.

Review

Based on a true story, Lakshmi is one of the bravest movies made ever. The story is purely about the reality of child prostitution, without any adulteration. Nagesh Kukunoor has made a film that will shock you to the core. It is a reality film that will keep you at the edge of your seats.

Nagesh Kukunoor plays the role of a vicious sleazy pimp brilliantly. Shefali Shah emerges very well as the mistress of the brothel, while TV actor Ram Kapoor is charming throughout the film as an out-of-work lawyer who gets justice to Lakshmi. Satish Kaushik is very convincing in his villainous role and is successful in making you hate him. Young singer-turned-actress Monali Thakur is the real gem in the film. Her acting, although below par, still makes you feel her pain.

Above all, Lakshmi is a heroic film that makes far reaching impact in your heart. It's definitely a must-watch! However, if you are expecting entertainment and do not like extreme brutality, then this is surely not a film you should head to!

Originally posted by: blue-ice

Read the reviews...and i want to watch it...but I don't know if I will be able to🤔...I am so glad that these women oriented movies are finally getting their due...

Even if you actually cannot watch it, I do suggest buying a ticket or DVD/Online download when available. Simply because the small budget filmmakers who do make good films receive the monetary support to keep doing so.

I have not seen Lakshmi yet. But for those interested I suggest watching Lilja4Ever. It is a Swedish film that explores the sex trafficking and child prostitution in the Soviet Union. A very gritty hard hitting film with great performances by the child actors.