Lakshmi is a script written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, and is based on thereal-life story of a 14-year-old girl Lakshmi who is sold into prostitution because of poverty. Singer MonaliThakur makes her debut with this movie. Her acting is quite effective and innocent in this film. This movie depicts the menace of child prostitution and is not for the faint hearted. The producer of the movie has put a brave effort to delve into a subject which is quite laudable. Sex trafficking is a major problem of our country and the story of Lakshmi turns it into a sensitive motion picture.

The movie is about a young, innocent girl whose father sell her to a pimp who in turn sells her to a man who runs a brothel. This brothel is run by a local goon Kaushik and his brother Chinna. The brothel was controlled and headed by a woman, Shefali who develops a soft corner for Lakshmi. Lakshmi is shown as a brave girl who refuses to surrender to the situation and tries her best to escape out of it. With the help of a lawyer Ram Kapoor, she files a case against the culprits. This movie conveys the harsh brutality inflicted on an innocent teenager. This movie manifests the reality of life in a brothel, it gives sensitive details of a girl’s psyche and how it changes her during the six months stay in a brothel which involved, physical abuse inflicted on her. Lakshmi is bruised, violated and battered by men of all age which is extremely disturbing. It highlights the problems faced bychildren of the economically weaker sections. This movie has manifested the story of many young girls like Lakshmi who struggle with bodily abuse day and night. The Court Room scene in the movie appears superficial, especially where Ram Kapoor argues Lakshmi’s case. The entire movie depicts the dark reality of our civilization; how she was repeatedly raped and abused physically, but she never stops fighting. Lakshmi serves as a mirror for the society, she manifests the dark shadow in it which we don’t want to see or hear. This movie is an eye opener, for it shows a little girl brought to the dark section of our society. She was repeatedly raped and forced to become Chinna ‘s prostitutes. The movie is a powerful, inspirational tale and showsthe brutal reality of sexual exploitation of poor children, pre mature womanhood and human trafficking. It contains a lot of moving trauma, tragedy, courage and triumph.

Lakshmi is an eye-opening film highlighting the barbaric nature of human society. Nagesh Kukunoorhas worked really well on the issue of abducted children trafficked for sex work. It is a movie on a serious topic – illegal sex business, which is a million-dollar business in itself and has a very adverse effect on our society as well. It involves people – powerful, prestigious people and authorities afraid to raise and fight against this issue, always maintaining a distance to help the victim. In India more than 1 million children, girls and boys have been forced into prostitution. The director of this movie tells the story of this section of the societyand how these children are trained by their pimps and madams and customers to be always ready.

Priya Singh @Samacharline