Through Darkness and Hope

Film is a social and political tool that can be used for both revolution and riot, and in the current society, film has a great influence on the views upon the so-called ‘victimized’. Each medium of communication must be efficient in transferring various ideas. Films are considered one of the most efficient media in communicating such ideas that society must actually be aware of.

Written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, Lakshmi is a narrative of heroism and myriad audacity. Monali Thakur, who plays the role of the fourteen-year-old Lakshmi, has put her best into expressing the harsh reality of human trafficking and her fight against it. Child trafficking, which is still prevalent in many parts of India, has been dealt with utmost care to let the audience grasp the necessity of understanding the trauma faced by the victimized. This is very clear when we analyze the censorship issues Nagesh Kukunoor had to face in the process of releasing the film on 21st March 2014. The director's unique ability to find hope and spirit in the most unlikely of situations can be seen in Lakshmi. He makes his characters so relatable and human that you connect with who they are, irrespective of their environment.

Lakshmi is the story of a frightening reality that haunts women from deprived backgrounds. But it is also the true story of a child whose spirit could not be broken, a hero in a land filled with cowards whose courage and determination finally triumph over evil.

The film is based on a true story of the first convicted case of child prostitution in Andhra Pradesh. It is a case study on child prostitution, which can be labeled as one of the cruelest things a person can do to a human being. Shattering away all the hopes and dreams of the girl children, they leave them to cope with the bitter realities of life. Incidents presented in the movie, of what happened to Lakshmi, are not fictional or created for entertainment. Victimization, including child rape and forced prostitution, is one of the major issues that the contemporary world faces today.

The study analyzes that each day several cases of child rape are reported in several parts of India. The cruelty of modern man finding happiness in the cries of helpless children is exposed by Nagesh Kukunoor through Lakshmi, focusing on several issues faced by a girl who is raped. Lakshmi ends in a positive manner where the audience finds the willpower of a young girl leading the offenders to court and punishment being given to them. On the contrary, reality often appears the exact opposite in most cases. It is not that offenders are not being punished; the reality often appears that the victims are forced to a state where they could never complain against the offenders or react against them due to the conditions they will have to face after the case ends. The trauma that the victim has to face is much more intense after the crime has been exposed. Society views the victims as objects later on and tries to get an opportunity to molest them.

Dark and disturbing realism is presented in Lakshmi, portraying how the exploited human beings need to be moving, bold, and emotionally strong. Even when Lakshmi’s dignity is turned to dust in the court, she never backs away from her decision. Such boldness is rare among the victims in real society who are haunted not only by the offenders but by society too.

The fat, grimy men grinning at Lakshmi and taking off their clothes over and over again, the bottle of vaginal cream being emptied over and over again, Lakshmi being brutally injured over and over again, and her washing herself over and over again all show the pathetic situation of the victim where she merely exists without having a soul in her. Her mere existence as a physical body is portrayed so the viewer can grasp the seriousness of the issue and understand the value of respecting the soul of a woman rather than merely enjoying her physical beauty.

Lakshmi affords the audience no relief of escape or escapism. The brutality in the brothel is relentless. Kukunoor takes us through the ‘badnaamgallis’ of Hyderabad in search of reasons why we treat economically weaker sections of the female sex as playthings. When Lakshmi is able to win against her offenders, she embraces the spot of sunshine with heartbreaking gratitude. Even the folk songs in the background about treating the girl child with tender care mock Lakshmi’s numbing pain and grief as she repeatedly tries to wash off the sticky blood of lust from her wounded private parts.

Lakshmi, as it is said, is not a film for the weak-hearted and the squeamish, but it spits out life and the harsh realities many girl children have had to face in their lives. It speaks for the victims, providing them hope to lead a happy life, even though the circumstances may oppose.

Ms. Adithya. S, Assistant Professor, Dept. of English, Al Shifa College of Arts and Science, Kizhattoor,  Perinthalmanna