If you are heading to the Vancouver International Film Festival to watch a movie with an aim to highlight appalling social evils in a subtle way, then Lakshmi is definitely not for you.
Full of graphic scenes and coarse language, the film takes you on a heart-wrenching journey through the issues of child prostitution in India. The film which is directed and produced by Nagesh Kukunoor, is inspired by the real life story of a fourteen year old girl from Andhra Pradesh who was kidnapped and forced into prostitution. Her refusal to give up led her to file a case in court against her perpetrators. She was able to secure victory for herself and the verdict became the first one in the state against sex traffickers.
The subject matter is intense and the narrative flows well. However, the graphic brutality seems to have been overdone at some points in the movie and the rough depictions of scenes of violence on women were too repulsive to handle at times. One can easily see why the movie’s release got delayed from January and why the Censor board had certain issues with it.
Nonetheless, for viewers who are interested in hard-hitting issues such as social inequality and violence against women, it’s a must-see, but be sure to go with an open mind.