Laaga Chunari Mein Daag

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag – Journey Of A Woman is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Pradeep Sarkar and starring Jaya Bachchan, Rani Mukherji, Konkona Sen Sharma, Anupam Kher, Kunal Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan. Produced by Aditya Chopra, it premiered on 12 October 2007. The film was the first directed by Sarkar under the Yash Raj Films banner.

Plot
Vibhavari "Badki" Sahay and Shubhavari "Chutki" Sahay, are the daughters of Shivshankar Sahay and Savitri Sahay. They live on the banks of the Ganges in Banaras. Life is full of happiness and joy for the two sisters although the family is poor and their house badly needs repairs. Savitri struggles to financially support the family by sewing clothes, and Badki left school before completing 12th standard in order to help Savitri earn more. Both Savitri and Badki are determined to ensure that Chutki completes her education, while Shivshankar spends his days buying lottery tickets and voicing his resentment that Badki was not born a son.

When Shivshankar falls ill and greedy relatives threaten to sue the family for their house, Badki goes to Mumbai to find work, but she is continuously rejected due to her lack of education and qualifications. She begs her friend Karan to introduce her to his sleazy middle-aged boss, Gupta. Married yet lonely, he offers her a lucrative job on the condition that she physically please him, with sex. She returns to her residence to find out the land lady has evicted her without notice. Homeless and lonely, a desperate Badki contacts Gupta and meets him in a posh hotel room, where they have sex. She feels she has secured her job, only for Gupta to reveal that he had manipulated her for sex; he refuses her the job and throws money at her, offering her a job as his personal escort, leaving her anguished. Feeling defeated and out of options, Badki becomes an escort, taking only wealthy men as clients. Coached by Karan's friend Michelle, Badki learns how to speak English and how to dress modernly and goes by the name "Natasha." Badki lies to her father and Chutki that she found work as an event planner and sends money for Shivshankar's medicines, house repairs, and a family lawyer. Although Savitri knows the truth and is pained by it, she does not dissuade Badki for fear of losing the steady flow of money. Through one of her clients, Badki meets and falls in love with attorney Rohan in Zurich but then leaves him fearing that he would be disgusted by her profession.

Meanwhile, Chutki completes her MBA and comes to live with Badki in Mumbai. She starts working at an agency and begins a relationship with her boss, creative director Vivaan, who soon proposes to her. While wedding preparations begin in Banaras, Savitri calls Chutki to implore her that Badki not attend the celebrations, for fear of Badki's profession being discovered and bringing shame on the family. Chutki then inadvertently discovers Badki's secret, and while initially upset, she apologizes to Badki for their family's selfishness. Chutki fiercely vows to remain by Badki's side and begs Badki to attend her wedding.

At Chutki's wedding in Banaras, Badki comes face-to-face with Rohan, who is revealed to be Vivaan's older brother. Old feelings resurface between the two, and Rohan asks Badki to marry him. Badki refuses, feeling that Rohan would never accept her if he knew the truth, and informs her mother of his proposal. Savitri is terrified of the possibility of Chutki's wedding being ruined and blames Badki for coming to Banaras. Chutki, however, rebukes her mother for overlooking Badki's sacrifices for the family and urges Badki to finally put herself first, whatever consequences there might be for Chutki's marriage. Shivshankar overhears this conversation and, along with Savitri, realizes what Badki has suffered for the family's sake. Badki divulges her profession to Rohan, who shocks her by revealing that he knew from the moment they were introduced by her client in Zurich. He explains that he deeply admires her character and the sacrifices she made for her family and wants to marry her. Badki accepts, and the two couples marry in a joint wedding ceremony.

Production
Saif Ali Khan was initially approached for the role of Rohan that went to Abhishek Bachchan, and Vidya Balan had earlier been offered the role that went to Konkona Sen Sharma.

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag was Jaya Bachchan's first film since Nikhil Advani's Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003).

The production of the film gathered some controversy when a lighting crew-member drowned in the Ganges River. During a shooting session in Varanasi, Mukerji's bodyguards aggressively moved media people and fans away from the film set. A political and media storm followed, as various groups insisted that Mukerji should have stopped the security guards. The actress then apologized to the media, though claiming the media were trying to get too close to both her and Sen Sharma. Some scenes involving Mukerji and Bachchan were shot in Bern, Switzerland and Lucerne, Switzerland.

Music
The film's soundtrack was released on 17 September 2007. Songs such as "Hum To Aise Hain" and "Kachchi Kaliyaan" featured playback singers such as Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal and KK. The soundtrack received a 3 out of 5 rating on indiaFm.com.

Release and reception
Laaga Chunari Mein Daag premiered on 12 October 2007 in Mumbai and was released on the same day in North America.

Box office
The film earned ₹17.5 crore in India and ₹3.17 crore in other territories, for a worldwide total of ₹ 20.67 crore.

Critical response
In India, the film received a generally negative critical response, with reviewers criticizing the repetitious and obsolete story line. Raja Sen of Rediff.com said the movie "takes us back to a kind of cinema we thought we were done with. Indian cinema threw off the dupatta just a little while ago; let's not shackle it back down". Taran Adarsh from indiaFM said it "stands on a shaky script and has all chances of slipping". Martin D'Souza of Glamsham.com noted, "this is a big letdown" from the director of the well-received Parineeta (2005). Hindustan Times wrote that, "This one comes out smelling of mothballs, like a wedding dress stored for decades in an attic trunk. Not surprising, since the plot is vintage 1977 from Aaina, and the award-winning Marathi film Doghi (1995)" (made by Sumitra Bhave with Uttara Baokar, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Sonali Kulkarni and Renuka Daftardar).

Critical response in the United States was more mixed. Frank Lovece of Film Journal International said that the film put "glossy Bollywood confection" in a historical context, calling it a "good old-fashioned, Douglas Sirk-style women's weepie ... so universal you could substitute Joan Crawford for Rani Mukherji and New York City for Mumbai". Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide found the film "breaks no new ground but is solidly entertaining" while David Chute of L.A. Weekly said, "The movie works so hard to transform its shocking subject into acceptable material for middlebrow melodrama that it never deals with it". Rachel Saltz of the New York Times termed the film, "A fascinating blend of musical, melodrama and feminist fairy tale".

Awards
53rd Filmfare Awards:

Nominated 9th IIFA Awards:
 * Best Actress – Rani Mukherji
 * Best Supporting Actress – Konkona Sen Sharma

Nominated 5th Stardust Awards:
 * Best Actress – Rani Mukherji
 * Best Supporting Actress – Konkona Sen Sharma

Nominated
 * Star of the Year – Female – Rani Mukherji