Damini - Bird in a Cage

 

Damini

1993, Hindi

Director - Rajkumar Santoshi

Stars - Meenakshi Seshadri, Anil Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Amrish Puri

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Long before the female centric movies of today, there was Damini, a critically acclaimed courtroom drama about a woman who goes against her husband's misguided sense of honor to stand for truth.

I must admit this is the first time I have seen Ms. Seshadri in a leading role, and what I have seen is amazing.  The actress goes well beyond her glamorous image in portraying a woman of deep-seated principles and sincere emotions.  Ms. Seshadri makes this film what it is, the other actors have to take an extra step to keep up.

One actor who does is Anil Kapoor, as the husband who is caught between his family and his wife in a matter of criminal proportions.  His struggle is with himself, to admit the truth that should have been told all along.

Those who have seen the film will remember the ongoing arguments between Mr. Deol's Govind Shrivastava and Mr. Puri's Indrajit Chaddha.  But to me, these are secondary to the powerful human emotions offered by the leads. Indeed, to me, the second half of the film was actually weaker than the first, as great poetic license is taken to make the courtroom drama more intense. 

Damini means lightning, and this movie will certainly electrify lovers of good film.