12A, 150 mins, Subtitles

Director: Pradeep Sarkar,

Stars: Rani Mukherjee, Konkana Sen, Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan

This take on the 'prostitute with a heart of gold' chick flick will probably shock traditional audiences. Although the plot-line is a Bollywood staple, in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag the protagonist actually sleeps with her clients.

Set in modern day Benares, India, it tells the tale of a lower middle-class family’s struggle for survival. Uneducated Vibha (Rani Mukherjee), the elder of two daughters, decides to leave Varanasi in order to succeed in Mumbai. She soon realises that the streets of India’s ‘Maximum City’ are not paved with rupees.

Penniless and homeless, the desperate Vibha decides to accept an indecent proposal: sex with a prospective employer. When the promised job fails to materialise, Vibha’s trust is shattered, but not her spirit. Vibha transforms herself into ‘Natasha’, an “exclusive and very expensive” escort.

Whilst on a ‘business trip’ in Zurich, Natasha meets and falls for Rohan (Abhishek Bachchan), a lawyer. When her younger sister Subhi (Konkana Sen) arrives unannounced at her Mumbai penthouse, Vibha pretends that she works in event management. Subhi accidentally discovers the truth but eventually accepts it. Will her parents, Rohan and her conservative village community also understand?

With the exception of a blackmail subplot and predictable plot development, there is much to admire in Pradeep ‘Parineeta’ Sarkar’s Sirk-style woman’s weepie. Unlike earlier Bollywood films, which often portrayed the fallen woman as a hapless victim, this working girl is unapologetic. When Rohan proposes to Vibha, she decides to reveal her real profession to him. “If a bond cannot bear the truth, it is best if it breaks,” she reckons.

The film explores how the Mumbai dream (thousands migrate to the city in order to find fame and fortune) can turn into a nightmare. It makes the relevant point that fluency in English and computer literacy are the essential skills for anyone wanting to ameliorate themselves in this emerging superpower. It also portrays parents as imperfect.

Mukherjee as the unhappy hooker adds a core of vulnerability to Natasha. Sen is hampered by an uneven characterisation which veers from naive country girl to clever advertising executive. A seasoned supporting cast (Jaya Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Hema Malini) bring credibility to lives dedicated to security and respectability.

It’s superior Bollywood soap, saved by the acting, which just about manages to raise it above sud-level.

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