'Laxmi' included in
the Third Eye Asian Film Festival, Mumbai.The Third Eye International Film Festival will be held between 21-28th August, 2004. About sixty films from all over the world will be shown. One of the Hindi films from India that have been included in the festival programme is Laxmi. It is a video feature written, produced, and directed by Rajesh Kumar Singh.
Laxmi is a khullamkhulla type film. In fact it is an adaptation of one of the tracks of Naya Zamana, a much acclaimed TV series, into a film format. The idea seems to have worked well in terms of the film's impact and the performances of actors among whom are Vijay Raaz, Sadia Siddqui, Ashok Lokhande, Suhita Thatte, and Swati Chitnis.
Vijay Raaz is seen in a very different light in the film as an honest cop. It is a serious role, quite in contrast to the comic acts he has been doing in some of his latter films. This films is a confirmation of the fact that he is an actor with wide ranging abilities, probably in the same league as Om Puri. Every actor in the film has lived his/her character. Sadia has excelled too. She comes out to be a natural born actress. Suhita Thatte, who plays the mother of Sadia, has given a great performance. Ashok Lokhande as a suave and slimy 'son of a bitch' kind of a fixer, pimp, and hustler gives ample demonstration of his prowess as a great actor in this film.
It is a highly dramatic film, yet it looks very real. It is the story of a teenage girl who has all those normal urges teenagers across the globe have in their growing years. She too wants to wear good clothes, and look beautiful like the girls from rich families. But she has a problem. Her mother is a maidservant who cannot afford to satisfy these simple needs of her daughter. What options Laxmi has now? She probably can control her desires. It is tough though for a teenager, when he/she sees others having so much fun in life. Finally, stepfather of the girl shows her the way to fulfil her desires...
The film deals with the impact of market oriented socio-economic ethos on the vulnerable sections of society and the serious moral dilemmas it gives rise to. It discusses the economic phenomenon of limited resources and unlimited wants and raises many universally relevant questions. Can we really sustain a socio-economic developmental model where market forces determine everything? The market survives by whetting people's desire to consume and by selling dreams. Can the market fulfil all these desires and dreams? Does it have the resources to do so? What happens when it fails to deliver? Do moral principles, that envisage co-existence of all, have any role to play in such a scenario? Does the present state of world affairs necessitate that humanity works towards creating an altogether new world order that is not market driven. The fact that this film is made in India, gives it a ‘culture specific’ dimension. Since ages, various philosophical traditions that took root in India have talked about moderating and controlling human desires and not to be driven by them.
In cinematic terms the film follows the minimalist approach. The camera is always with the action and remains close to the characters. Whatever is needed is there and nothing is included that could distract the viewer from the intense human drama on the screen. There are some comparatively weak scenes, an acceptable exception to this rule. There are very few long shots. You can count them on your fingers. You do not come across 'sore thumb' technical wizardry. This approach suits the content of the film though. The film remains focussed on its subject all through.
The film also works effectively on storytelling front. The viewers are hooked right from the first frame to the last, waiting for the final denouement. He is not provided any relief in the form of dance and song routines. He does not need it.
For other details about the film, visit the follwing link :-
Screening details
Date: 24 August, 2004
Time: 6.15 PM
Venue: Raveendra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi, MUMBAI.
Duration: 104 minutes
Format: DVD
