Although unsettling and horrific, the film is weighed down by its ‘standard-issue’ treatment. Lakshmi addresses a serious issue and forces us to confront a bitter reality, even offering hope in the end through the protagonist’s courageous fight for justice. But let’s not confuse the issue with the film, which is well-intentioned yet typical.

Lakshmi’s story makes your heart bleed. If you have the courage, watch it.

We wish Kukunoor had focused more on her spirit and triumph – our experience would’ve been more fulfilling, less overbearing. Shefali is brilliant, debutant Monali expresses with her beautiful eyes. Kapoor and Kaushik are average and Nagesh doesn’t push his performance too far.

It’s not for the faint hearted. If you are looking for entertainment then Nagesh Kukunoor’s extremely disturbing film Lakshmi about the menace of child prostitution is not something you should be heading the theatres for. Also, if you do not have the stomach to digest brutally graphic violent scenes, you may not want to spend that Rs.200 on a multiplex ticket, where this film is most likely to find a limited release.

Kukunoor opts for a documentary-style approach which offers little new insight about the plight of the women thrown into prostitution. The film slips in the second half when Lakshmi takes the perpetrators to court and doesn’t buck under the pressure as she shares details about her ordeal. While the film avoids mawkish courtroom theatrics, the scenes are so listless and shoddily put together that they wear viewers out than draw a strong emotional response.

Kukunoor’s story narration is single-minded and unflinching, but instead of getting into the sensitive details of the girl’s psyche and how it changes during her six-month ordeal in the brothel, he prefers to drive home the point about physical abuse again and again. In doing so, he is perhaps unwittingly providing some kind of titillation to the perverts present in the audience, thus diluting the whole purpose of the film.

To sum it up, Lakshmi is a story that’s disturbing, shocking but a courageous effort. Watch this movie for stellar performances.