Lajja

Vaidehi, Manisha Koirala, is married to Raghu Jackie Shroff, a wealthy man who presents a polished outside life but is brutal at home, treating her with contempt and hiding infidelity behind a carefully curated image. When the truth of Raghu’s behavior comes to light, Vaidehi is banished from the household. She returns to her parents, only to face their disappointment and the social stain of her departure, and soon discovers she is pregnant. The revelation deepens the peril in her life, underscoring the precarious place of a woman who dares to challenge a stifling status quo.

Raghu’s life takes a sudden turn when a car accident leaves him impotent. Hearing of Vaidehi’s pregnancy, he calls her with feigned remorse, promising to mend his ways and demanding her return. Trusting his contrition, Vaidehi goes back, only to confront a colder reality: Raghu and his father scheme to use the baby as an heir, and any protest from Vaidehi would be fatal. A friend’s warning becomes Vaidehi’s lifeline, revealing Raghu’s true, merciless intent, and she must flee from his henchmen to stay alive.

Enter Raju, Anil Kapoor, a petty but deeply humane thief who listens to Vaidehi’s tragic tale and offers quiet support. He lends her money to start anew in Haripur and accompanies her on a dangerous journey toward safety. Their paths converge at a wedding where Vaidehi encounters Maithili, Mahima Chaudhry, a cheerful, middle-class bride preparing to wed a wealthy man. Maithili’s own world is upended by social pressure and family debt, and the two women form a tenuous alliance born of shared vulnerability. At this wedding, a harsh truth about Dowry and prestige surfaces: Maithili’s father, Nekchand Aanjjan Srivastav, is pressed by the groom’s family, led by Hazarilal Govind Namdeo, to pay for opulent nuptials that would ruin the family’s standing. Vaidehi’s effort to help Maithili’s family meet these expectations collides with the realities of greed, honor, and the risk of tarnishing reputations.

The night unfolds with a near-rape attempt by Gulshan, a friend of the groom, which Raju thwarts, and the guests grow suspicious of Vaidehi’s presence. The moment of truth arrives when Gulabchand, a guest, recognizes the money Raju earlier stole, and the rumor mill spirals: Vaidehi is accused of impropriety with Raju. In a bold public act, Raju admits the truth about the theft, redeeming Maithili’s reputation in the process, while Maithili stands up to a hostile clan and defiantly rejects the stigma. Raghu, furious at the upheaval, catches up with Vaidehi and compels her to return to his world, a ride that ends amidst a crowd’s protests.

Vaidehi eventually reaches Haripur, a small town where fate threads new lives together. There she meets Janki, Madhuri Dixit, a theatre actress who is pregnant and unafraid to defy social norms. Janki’s lover, Manish, is caught in a bind as the aging Purushottam, Purshotam in the play’s orbit, Tinnu Anand—a theatrical director—manipulates truth and loyalty, turning his influence against Janki. Purshotam speaks ill of Janki to Manish, sowing doubt about the child’s paternity. In a moment of public rage during a Ramayan performance, Janki botches a scene on purpose, and the ensuing backlash from the audience leads to a violent assault that ends in a miscarriage. Vaidehi confronts Purshotam, who threatens to call Raghu, but Lata Jaya Bhattacharya intervenes, sending Vaidehi to a train bound for a safer life.

The train ride is halted by a bandit raid, but Bhulwa, a compassionate local dacoit Ajay Devgn, rescues the passengers and ferries Vaidehi to safety at Ramdulari’s home. Ramdulaari, a steadfast midwife played by Rekha Ramdulari, defies the local leaders—Gajendra and Virendra—who exploit vulnerable women. Ramdulari’s son Prakash, a reform-minded young man, falls in love with Sushma, the daughter of Gajendra, and the lovers’ union becomes a flashpoint in a larger struggle over power and dignity. Gajendra locks Ramdulaari away and hunts Prakash, while Vaidehi’s safety hangs in the balance: she is temporarily kept under control as Raghu’s plan to recover her intensifies.

Prakash and Sushma elope, but the larger score of violence returns when Gajendra and Virendra rape and burn Ramdulaari alive. Bhulwa’s response is swift and fierce: he and his small force kill Virendra and his men, rescuing Vaidehi, Sushma, and Prakash from the wreckage of power that had consumed Ramdulaari’s life. Vaidehi’s courage becomes a catalyst for change as she exposes Gajendra as both rapist and murderer in a climactic confrontation before the crowd. Her impassioned speech lays bare a brutal truth about Indian society—the way women are treated as mere burdens or instruments of dowry and male heirs—and its impact on every life, from the richest to the humblest.

The speech reverberates through the audience, sparking a collective reckoning among the women present, while Bhulwa dispenses justice off-screen, a reminder of the cost of silence. Raghu, moved by Vaidehi’s outcry and the undeniable courage she displays, reconsiders his own values and chooses to reform, seeking a renewed partnership that reconciles their past with a future built on respect. The couple returns to New York City as a united family, now expecting a daughter named Ramdulari, a living memory of the mother who fought for justice. Vaidehi’s life circles back to generosity when she reunites with Raju, who has become a taxi driver and is now married to Maithili, their bond strengthened by shared trials and a renewed sense of purpose.

To honor those struggles and extend support to others, Vaidehi invites Raju to a charity dance show where Janki takes the lead. All proceeds from these performances are dedicated to empowering women in India, continuing the film’s central message: resilience, solidarity, and the enduring power of women to reclaim dignity through collective action.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:24