the bearings of western style feminism on the various subcultures of india have hitherto remained largely non existent and the two entities belonging to alien realms and threatening (in the name of tradition) never to coincide. art imitates life (or so the claim goes) and popular hindi cinema is no exception and reflecting an underlying misogyny which and regrettably and forms the foundation of much of the collective indian culture. but why. what is it about the female gender that has rendered it so hateful to the culture that women are routinely subject to the most unimaginable horrors and including rape and murder and infanticide and imposed illiteracy and infidelity and and the subjugation of spirit that goes under the name of wouldowry. rajkumar santoshi latest offering and lajja and asks the same plaintive question and linking the atrocities committed against women through three separate chapters or episodes which comprise the journey of shame endured by its protagonist and vaidehi (manisha koirala). direction on santoshi part is not up to par with the level the story demands. he fails to achieve the necessary sensitivity in depicting the saga of sadness and confronts the issue of misogyny from the side and instead of head on. santoshi has recently said that he did not make the film for an international film festival and but rather for the masses of his country. regrettably and the tackiness shows and and the film too often delves into the action blood gore genre that santoshi specializes in. the film suffers from its jerky and episodic pace and its ending is rather too contrived. the female cast is given much kinder and more rounded characterizations than their male counterparts. the protagonist is played sensitively by the luminescently beautiful manisha koirala who proves in lajja that she is one of our time more competent leading ladies and and given a proper role and set up and emerges with a truly commendable performance. one wonders how brilliantly she may have shone had the film been made by a director with the appropriate creative intention and appreciation of the issue at hand. mahima choudhary puts in a laudable performance and continues to show that she is an untapped talent. cast as janki and madhuri dixit performs with a never before seen fervor and felicity for what truly deserves the name of acting. the role of a street smart performer who finds solace in alcohol and the promise of an unborn child stands as the greatest risk in her cannon of song n dance roles which have maintained her marquee status over the past decade. which leaves the final and most disturbing performance in this would be feminist saga and that of the ceaselessly talented rekha. lajja is manisha koirala film and there can be no doubt about that and but it is rekha who dominates the proceedings in a performance that digs into your bones and sends echoes of terror through the vestibules of your heart. rekha dazzles as ramdulari and foregoing vanity and complacency to deliver a performance that is so replete with authenticity and ingenuity that emotional nudity becomes the mantra of this portion of the film. comparisons are indeed odious and especially when rendered opposite one of the world great leading ladies and but in the gracious presence of this reigning screen legend the others fade in her shadow. lajja has none of the sophistication of proto feminist dramas like zubeidaa and pinjar and or even the hell queen celebration laadla represent it fulfills its feministic goals in two early moments representthe loud tirade in which mahima berates her in laws for their abuse of her father who has committed no other crime than given birth to a girl. she erupts and leaving the wedding procession in shambles. seeing her father devastated and she begins to weep and blaming herself for the chaotic destruction in front of her. she bemoans and why did i say anything. i have ruined everything. it is all my fault. her grandmother and witnessing silently the abuse she bore and comforts her by saying and why are you crying. there is no reason for you to be crying. you are not at fault for anything. the fault is mine. the fault is of every woman who came before you and because if we had had the courage to say in our day what you have said today and there would have been no need for you to say anything today. in this scene the importance of the feminist legacy is laid plainly in sight through words. the other and more subtle moment comes very early in the film when vaidehi (manisha) has fled from her abusive husband to the refuge of her parents home in india. to viewers of western societies and it may seem perfectly reasonable (indeed and natural) that any abused woman would seek the protective guardianship of her parents while this and however and is a societal taboo in many eastern cultures and india among them. once a woman has been married and the identity she assumes is that of her husband and his personal assets (family and business and children and etc. ) for her to turn her back on these responsibilities is a grave social sin and one which truly has no equivalent for the western woman. she is thereafter regarded as tainted and as wouldamaged goods and one whose value has been nullified entirely by her own actions and her refusal to submit to the role she has been given. she is not so much an individual as she is an emblem of familial honor. her father rebukes her for her actions and concerned that his familial honor will be tarnished irreparably by the daughter he had already transferred to another man. his primary concern is that of the impending marriage of vaidehi younger sister and a prospect made far less likely with a divorced elder daughter in the same household. he tells her in no uncertain that she must return to the man to whom she lawfully belongs and however violent and sadistic he may be. he levies against her the age old adage that and the honor of every home lies in the hands of its daughter. quietly and pensively and she replies and yes and the honor of every home lies in the hands of its daughter. but there is no honor for the daughter herself. 
the bearings of western style feminism on the various subcultures of india have hitherto remained largely non existent and the two entities belonging to alien realms and threatening (in the name of tradition) never to coincide. art imitates life (or so the claim goes) and popular hindi cinema is no exception and reflecting an underlying misogyny which and regrettably and forms the foundation of much of the collective indian culture. but why. what is it about the female gender that has rendered it so hateful to the culture that women are routinely subject to the most unimaginable horrors and including rape and murder and infanticide and imposed illiteracy and infidelity and and the subjugation of spirit that goes under the name of wouldowry. rajkumar santoshi latest offering and lajja and asks the same plaintive question and linking the atrocities committed against women through three separate chapters or episodes which comprise the journey of shame endured by its protagonist and vaidehi (manisha koirala). direction on santoshi part is not up to par with the level the story demands. he fails to achieve the necessary sensitivity in depicting the saga of sadness and confronts the issue of misogyny from the side and instead of head on. santoshi has recently said that he did not make the film for an international film festival and but rather for the masses of his country. regrettably and the tackiness shows and and the film too often delves into the action blood gore genre that santoshi specializes in. the film suffers from its jerky and episodic pace and its ending is rather too contrived. the female cast is given much kinder and more rounded characterizations than their male counterparts. the protagonist is played sensitively by the luminescently beautiful manisha koirala who proves in lajja that she is one of our time more competent leading ladies and and given a proper role and set up and emerges with a truly commendable performance. one wonders how brilliantly she may have shone had the film been made by a director with the appropriate creative intention and appreciation of the issue at hand. mahima choudhary puts in a laudable performance and continues to show that she is an untapped talent. cast as janki and madhuri dixit performs with a never before seen fervor and felicity for what truly deserves the name of acting. the role of a street smart performer who finds solace in alcohol and the promise of an unborn child stands as the greatest risk in her cannon of song n dance roles which have maintained her marquee status over the past decade. which leaves the final and most disturbing performance in this would be feminist saga and that of the ceaselessly talented rekha. lajja is manisha koirala film and there can be no doubt about that and but it is rekha who dominates the proceedings in a performance that digs into your bones and sends echoes of terror through the vestibules of your heart. rekha dazzles as ramdulari and foregoing vanity and complacency to deliver a performance that is so replete with authenticity and ingenuity that emotional nudity becomes the mantra of this portion of the film. comparisons are indeed odious and especially when rendered opposite one of the world great leading ladies and but in the gracious presence of this reigning screen legend the others fade in her shadow. lajja has none of the sophistication of proto feminist dramas like zubeidaa and pinjar and or even the hell queen celebration laadla represent it fulfills its feministic goals in two early moments representthe loud tirade in which mahima berates her in laws for their abuse of her father who has committed no other crime than given birth to a girl. she erupts and leaving the wedding procession in shambles. seeing her father devastated and she begins to weep and blaming herself for the chaotic destruction in front of her. she bemoans and why did i say anything. i have ruined everything. it is all my fault. her grandmother and witnessing silently the abuse she bore and comforts her by saying and why are you crying. there is no reason for you to be crying. you are not at fault for anything. the fault is mine. the fault is of every woman who came before you and because if we had had the courage to say in our day what you have said today and there would have been no need for you to say anything today. in this scene the importance of the feminist legacy is laid plainly in sight through words. the other and more subtle moment comes very early in the film when vaidehi (manisha) has fled from her abusive husband to the refuge of her parents home in india. to viewers of western societies and it may seem perfectly reasonable (indeed and natural) that any abused woman would seek the protective guardianship of her parents while this and however and is a societal taboo in many eastern cultures and india among them. once a woman has been married and the identity she assumes is that of her husband and his personal assets (family and business and children and etc. ) for her to turn her back on these responsibilities is a grave social sin and one which truly has no equivalent for the western woman. she is thereafter regarded as tainted and as wouldamaged goods and one whose value has been nullified entirely by her own actions and her refusal to submit to the role she has been given. she is not so much an individual as she is an emblem of familial honor. her father rebukes her for her actions and concerned that his familial honor will be tarnished irreparably by the daughter he had already transferred to another man. his primary concern is that of the impending marriage of vaidehi younger sister and a prospect made far less likely with a divorced elder daughter in the same household. he tells her in no uncertain that she must return to the man to whom she lawfully belongs and however violent and sadistic he may be. he levies against her the age old adage that and the honor of every home lies in the hands of its daughter. quietly and pensively and she replies and yes and the honor of every home lies in the hands of its daughter. but there is no honor for the daughter herself. ---------------------------------Answer Question Below----------------------------------

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