Laaga Chunari Mein Daag
wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do (?)
Another outstanding performance by both Rani Mukherjee and Konkona Sen Sharma. But, that's no surprise. And unfortunately, that's not enough either, to mask the ill-defined characters and their unexplained motivations. This is further marred by lousy and lengthy dialogues. The lyrics are good and the music is refreshing, but you don't to watch the movie for that.
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So, it is a Yash Raj movie. You have learnt to forgive them for the extra tinge of orange and the sharp sounds, the mandatory songs and the unnecessary melodrama. But, if throughout the movie, the one question that nags you is, "Could a real person, seriously react this way to this situation?" then what exactly are you expected to enjoy?
We are talking of a movie that claims to be about the 'journey of a woman'. I refuse to believe that it was supposed to be in the leave-your-brain-home-and-don't-ask-too-many-questions genre. What could have been a celebration of the spirit of a woman, turns into another story of a woman finding ultimate happiness only in meeting an ideal man. It is uncanny how a salute to womanhood ends in men being the goal of their lives. Not to mention that men are shown as a breed who crave sex. So desperate are they that they pay huge sums to have sex with the most remorseful, uninterested women.
Let alone the societal issues, the treatment given to the story was also half-hearted. The details were missing. Elements that needed build-up happened suddenly. The outcome of things that were built-up over the movie was resolved within 30 seconds of screen time.
The only redeeming factors were the performances by the two leading ladies - Rani Mukherjee and Konkona Sen Sharma. We have seen both these women do a wide variety of roles, and these particular ones don't stand out from within the standards they have set for themselves. But, that they managed to jerk tears without adequate support from the script or the dialogues is praiseworthy.
The dialogues, especially towards the end were so clichéd that it was outright ridiculous. There was this one pause that Abhishek Bachchan takes mid-sentence. You could sense a huge portion of the audience admire their dialogue-predicting capabilities, when he finishes his line. The dialogues were excessive in a couple scenes given to Konkana. I think, left to her own devices, Konkana could have expressed much more with her silences.
On the other hand, I was bowled over by the lyrics of the songs. Especially, "nistabdh khadi hu mein" and "Kachi kaliyaa". The music was refreshing because it was different. Now, whether or not the songs deserved time of their own on the screen is a different question altogether.
The camerawork was average. No in-the-face camera or annoying movements except for a few scenes here and there. In fact, there were a couple of very well-done scenes depicting the emotional state of the character. Unfortunately, they did not go with the rest of the film because the technique did not continue in the rest of the movie.
What amused me was the huge compliment the cameraperson paid to Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee in the song that was supposedly shot in Switzerland. Just imagine, they had all the scenic beauty in the world to capture and they focused mainly on close to mid-shots of the two-some. Or did they do that to avoid being criticized of favoring the Alps too much? Or could it be because it was not Switzerland at all? The rainbow shot towards the end of the song looked like use of blue screen. If it wasn't, then that's a bigger shame, isn't it? Imagine all that money spent and the effect is that of a blue screen.
Better defined characters and even better defined motivations would have taken this overall interesting plot a long way. But, alas, that is a lot to ask for.
- meeta, a part of the audience
Thumbs up, by Deep, Deep's Home : ...The way Rani’s character was portrayed was simply brilliant... full review
Thumbs up, Indicine : ...He has managed to bring to light the struggle of a woman to make a living in the cruel and demanding society with maturity and precision... full review
Thumbs up, Movie Talkies : ...it’s the interaction between the sisters or the ones between the mother and her daughters, which really tug at your heart strings.... full review
Thumbs up, by Subhash K Jha, Now Running.com : ...Her interpretation of the character's heartbreaking change from innocence to reluctant compromise is fleshed out in glorious colours.... full review
So-So, by Naresh Kumar Deoshi, Apun Ka Choice : ...If you have got a taste for extended soap operas, you would find Pradeep Sarkar’s movie eminently watchable.If you have got a taste for extended soap operas, you would find Pradeep Sarkar’s movie eminently watchable.... full review
So-So, by Aly Kassam, Bolly Spice : ...If there was ever such a thing as regressive cinema, Yash Raj’s latest fits the shoes perfectly. But is regressive necessarily bad?... full review
So-So, by Rachel Fernandes, Bollywood Mantra : ...However Pradeep Sarkar’s execution lends a bit of a saving grace to the film, as he manages to capture the finer nuances of Benares extremely efficiently.... full review
So-So, by Hetal Adesara, Business of Cinema : ...since the subject of the film is centered on women, the film had immense scope for drama and emotions, which was not dwelt upon or utilized well.... full review
So-So, by Aneesh, Intermission, The Bookeazy Blog : ...Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is a well directed movie with several writing flaws which create plotholes.... full review
So-So, by Amit R Agarwal, merinews : ...Not that the film is bad, but it isn’t lingering either... full review
So-So, by Aditi, MovieWalah : ...Very predictable storyline in which you would expect a lot of emotional drama, however I do think that they managed not to overdo that... full review
So-So, by Anupama Chopra, NDTV : ...Sarkar does a great job of establishing the family, their genteel poverty and their daily struggles to stem the fraying of their lives... full review
So-So, by Ashok Nayak, Now Running.com : ...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... full review
So-So, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ...the story is so old, as old and weary as the tawaifs of Benares, it makes you feel you are time-travelling to Bollywood’s distant past...... full review
Thumbs down, by Abhishek Bandekar, DearCinema : ...Where it falters then, and massively so, is in the department of…I apologize for putting this as civilly as crudeness allows…‘balls’. The film just doesn’t have any.... full review
Thumbs down, by Martin D'souza, Glamsham.com : ...Director Pradeep Sarkar begins with a bang, introducing every character with a touch of flourish, and then throws away the advantage to hop on to mediocrity.... full review
Thumbs down, by Anand Singh, Hindustan Times : ...This one comes out smelling of mothballs, like a wedding dress stored for decades in an attic trunk.... full review
Thumbs down, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...Even the film's climax lacks conflict, ending on a note that's more convenient than dramatic.... full review
Thumbs down, by Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM : ...Predictability -- that bogs LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG down.... full review
Thumbs down, by Praveen Lance Fernandes, indiatimes : ... There are so many loose ends in the screenplay and with some of the liberties taken you feel like you are moving back into the 70s... full review
Thumbs down, by Gautam Hegde, J.A.M : ...the film that manages to hold you with its family swan song in the beginning loses that grip as the story progresses.... full review
Thumbs down, by Sreeram Ramachandran, M TV : ...One wonders why the makers actually chose to shoot these - they could easily have used stock footage from various other films from the past... full review
Thumbs down, by surveen, musicNmovies.info : ...So storywise, the movie is completely disappointing... full review
Thumbs down, by Jahan Bakshi, Passion for Cinema : ...This is a film that simply can’t afford to not look glossy, so much so that the phone booth that Rani uses in the film looks like it has been uprooted from London and miraculously been transplanted here in aamchi Mumbai.... full review
Thumbs down, by Deepak Venkateshan, Passion for Cinema : ...We all know there is a path of sleaze in all the big cities but did it have to be shown so fabulously.... full review
Thumbs down, by Hanumant Bhansali, Radio Sargam : ...Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is a blot which is going to sting the Yash Raj Banners and Pradeep Sarkar for sometime now... full review
Thumbs down, by Raja Sen, Rediff : ...ooh, big bad Mumbai's never looked quite this lecherous this quickly... full review
Thumbs down, SearchIndia.com : ...That old Guddi and Anamika girl Jaya Bachchan looks like a hag these days... full review
Thumbs down, by Satyajit, SmasHits.com : ...Rani Mukherjee gives her booming career the desired niche as she delves into author-backed character... full review
Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.
This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.
Warning: this section has some details that could distort your experience while watching the movie. I strongly recommend reading this only after you have seen the movie or if you have decided not to see it.
Plot Summary
The Sahay family is in a precarious financial condition. The older daughter, Badki (Rani Mukherjee) of the family, decides to do what it takes to make ends meet.
What Worked
- Rani Mukherjee's outfit on the set of a movie. Bindi on a jeans and long shirt. Fit the bill very well.
What did not
- Watching Yash Raj Films' songs has started feeling like déjà vu. "Hum to aise hai bhaiyya" felt a lot like "dhadak dhadak" from Bunty aur Bubly. "Zara gunguna le" looked a lot like "chak de" from Hum Tum. Can't we be a little more creative?
- It's amazing how these girls from small towns are trend-setters with their short kurtis and patialas.
- Since when does a mother laugh at her daughters' mischievousness in visiting a prostitute's den? And since when are prostitutes invited to weddings?
- The Sahay household's kitchen was a bad set. It looked too obviously artificial.
- The downpour when the characters are in a turmoil. Too clichéd, done way too often.
- Vivaan(Kunal Kapoor)'s exaggerated clumsiness in the scene in his office cabin. Not funny. And certainly not nice.
- The whole premise that if Badki (Rani Mukherjee) came to the wedding people would talk. Wouldn't people talk more if she didn't come for her sister's wedding?
- Was Jaya Bachchan unable to emote her feelings when she was crying towards the end of the movie? Why did she have to hide her face in that scene?
- The set of the balcony in the climax. Again too artificial.
- Why have a sub-plot related to troublesome uncle and cousin when you are not going to end it with a punch? It’s resolution was the lamest ever.
Nitty-Gritty
- The silky, shiny white shirt Rani Mukherjee was wearing just before interval was very unflattering.
- The silly mime of a fight in the song "Teekhi teekhi". It was very artificial.
- Do girls in Benares really reveal so much cleavage?
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Comments (6)
Review - Laaga Chunari Mein Daag...
Another outstanding performance by both Rani Mukherjee and Konkona Sen Sharma. But, that's no surprise. And unfortunately, that's not enough either, to mask the ill-defined characters and their unexplained motivations. This is further marred by lousy...
[...] reviews Laaga Chunari Mein Daag. We are talking of a movie that claims to be about the ‘journey of a woman’. I refuse to [...]
Laaga Chunari main Daag - Review...
Without giving the movie away, gives a bad rating to the movie, says it fails to deliver on the promise. They say you should watch the movie if you have nothing better to do. What say guys, has anyone caught the movie?...
Yeah Megha and Vidyuth, these are the questions that will remain unanswered. One wonders, when we can think of these things after one watch, why can't the makers - who live with the movie for months together - not do the same.
i think the movie was brilliant and the music was fantasic. all the charactor has done good
job according to their rolls. i love rani and kokkana sen in the movie they r really
fantastic. i think rani should get best actress avoid and kokkna sen for supporting actress.
i love them. very good movie.
>>Why, when she could learn perfect English diction, all upper class mannerisms and financial
intricacies of patents, could she not get herself a job other than an escort’s?
>>
Yes, but she got the other job before learning all this, earn while you learn kind of.
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