My mom and I made a whole day of it--First the movie and then dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Mmm, Bollywood and Godiva cheesecake...two of my favorite things! Since we had such a good time that day, and the movie was a part of that experience, I may have enjoyed Laaga Chunari Mein Daag a bit more than I would have otherwise. I was eager to get my hands on the DVD and find out, once and for all, whether this movie would be as much fun in the comfort of my living room.
And guess what...it kind of was! But allow me to explain, because there is a catch. Let me put it like this...if we look at LCMD as "the journey of a woman" from village life into prostitution, and the feelings and experiences she encounters along the way, then it fails miserably. Here's why:
1)We aren't given any real juicy stories about Vibha's life and transformation as a prostitute. In fact, there's really very little shown of her day to day experiences in the profession. We just skip from a scared young woman to a confident call girl with little in between except for a song. I don't know about you, I would have appreciated a little more insight into her life.
2)There are a lot of holes in the story, such as why Vibha would have rather slept with Karan's boss instead of taking him up on his offer to give her money. In a story with such a heavy topic, there really should be a solid basis for her making the decision she did.
3)Abhishek Bachchan, who I normally love onscreen with Rani, had a very small role that he did little with. He kind of seemed like he didn't want to be there(Then again, to cut him a break, the man did just marry Aishwarya Rai. Maybe he really wanted to go home, and who could blame him?). I think the writers placed too much faith in Rani and Abhi's popularity as a couple that they felt they didn't have to flesh the story out, since the public would love them anyways. Well, I am a fan of these two, and I still did get excited when they were onscreen together in LCMD, but I was a tad dissapointed that there wasn't more to their romance.
Despite these issues, if you take Laaga Chunari Mein Daag as a "chick flick", something you can curl up and watch with a pint of chocolate ice cream and some friends, then it is actually quite good. There are some great performances and hidden touches to the film that make it extremely watchable and fun. Here's why:
1)Konkana Sen Sharma and Kunal Kapoor. Wow, I really enjoyed these two onscreen together! Their scenes after the intermission were some of the best parts of the movie. Konkana is a breath of fresh air and Kunal is simply dreamy (so much so, that I forgave him for that disgusting sandwhich with drippy mayo and his feet on Chutki's desk). I love them together, I love them seperately. I've definately got to see Aaja Nachle.
2)Rani Mukerjee is one of my favorite actresses, and this movie had a lot of Rani in it. I'd read multiple reviews that criticized her performance, saying it was dull and lifeless. But I think one of the great things about Rani's talent is that she never overacts, having the unique ability to say so much with her eyes alone.
3)Konkana's character, Chutki, had a thing for Shahrukh Khan. I love when I hear references to other actors or movies in Bollywood and I just get it. It makes me feel like I've come so far.
4)I always feel like Jaya Bachchan and Anupham Kher are overused in supportive parental roles...well, at least Anupham Kher is. But in this movie, I forgot all about that and found the little family to be pretty believable.
5)And back to Abhishek Bachchan. Although I stand by my opinion above, I was very pleased with Abhi's reaction to Rani's confession at the end. Call it cheesy or predictable, but in that last scene I started to feel like I actually did get a satisfying dose of Rani/Abhi after all(even though it was a small one).
I'm not quite sure where the songs fall in. I liked the visuals and the actors in the sequences more than the actual melodies. Kind of dissapointing since I usually dig Yash Raj songs. The only one I really liked was "Kachi Kaliyan".
And on a final note, I just found out what Laaga Chunari Mein Daag means in Hindi. Nice. Kind of makes me like it more, in a strange way.
So there you have it. My first Bollywood movie in the theater! Make no mistake, though...Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is definately still a "renter". Although it wasn't a dissapointment, either, if viewed as just an excuse to spend some time with Rani and Konkona. Here's to many more trips to the theater for Hindi films!
Text © Copyright 2008 Nida Nazir Bitten By Bollywood
