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Rani's 'moral' dilemma

IF SOURCES are to be believed, thinking heads at Yashraj Films are facing 'a moral question'. Aditya Chopra and director Pradeep Sarkar are hesitant about Rani Mukerji's portrayal of a sex worker in Lagaa Chunari Mein Daag.

Going by the plot, Rani hails from a respectable middle-class family living in a small town. City life lures her and eventually, falling on bad times, she turns to flesh trade for a living. The makers feel that Rani's journey, from a middle-class woman to a sex worker (in the film), may not go down well with the audiences. In fact, a middle-class woman being portrayed as a sex-worker has always been a strict no-no.

Also, recent box-office letdowns (read Tara Rum Pum and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom) has prompted Aditya to mull over the script yet again before the film makes its way to the editing table.

Says a source from the production house, "We don't know how kindly the viewers are going to take to the fact that a woman from a middle-class family becomes a sex worker in times of crisis. Surely, we are giving it a thought. After the Jhoom Barabar Jhoom debacle we want to play it safe."

Although a good measure of mother-daughter relationship has been thrown into the film, it doesn't solve the problem. The plot essentially focuses on Rani's predicament in a big bad city. Adds another source, "The basic premise highlights Rani's plight after she leaves her home town in hope of a better life." The creative team behind the film already has had a few meetings.

Says a crew member on condition of anonymity, "Yashraj films are always meant for family viewing. We don't want to outrage our viewers' sensibilities. Saying so, we can't have any last minute changes as the film has been mostly shot. We intend to release the film in September."

Incidentally Rani Mukerji plays a sex worker in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya too. So, there is also that question of repetition, which Yashraj Films is not too happy about.

The team may or may not make changes in Rani's character, but, they are definitely trying to change the look of the film. As Yashraj production has always come up with different concept in each of their films, they plan to do it this time too.