"Journey of a Woman" tells the story of a girl that moves to the big city in order to make money for her poor family at home. When she arrives, she has to learn the hard way that she'll have to stand up for herself. While she earns enourmous sums through prostitution, her new profession could set her sister's wedding at risk.The story is not very creative, just the basic story of an innocent girl moving to the big city and ending in sin. However, the film looks worthy, the acting is solid and all in all there's no reason for boredom. The singing is not my cup of tea but that's just a question of taste and I guess quite normal for most Bollywood films. What I undoubtedly appreciate is that the film takes a stand for those considered "sinful" and shows the double standards with which they are treated.All in all this is nothing special but it is a beautiful little film that's sure enjoyanble to watch and delivers some solid filmmaking.

I remember when this movie first released, and I was told that I was too young to watch it. My mother told me that the theme of the movie was a little mature for my age, so after huffing and puffing, I decided I would wait a little while.So, about two weeks ago, I decided to finally watch it (late much?) ha ha. And well, it was worth the wait. As the movie opened up on screen, I knew from that moment that it would be amazing.This is a story of a family, this is a story of a boy and a girl, this is a story of two sisters, this is a story about the truth of life and what people do for a living to make an income for themselves.Badki and Chutki (Rani Mukherjee and Konkona Sen Sharma) are living happily with their parents (Jaya Bachchan and Anupam Kher) even though Banaras isn't the most glamorous place in India, and neither is their current lifestyle. But all that changes simply when their father gets a heart attack after a certain string of events.Rani Mukherjee rushes to the city where it can all happen, certain that she will make it big and send her family money for her father's medicines and treatment. She is proved wrong. After her qualifications and language barrier preventing her from doing the jobs she tries out for, she only has one solution-prostitution.Now, this is where the movie takes a big leap forward. And you slowly watch the transformation of a small village girl becoming a high level escort, taking the name of Natasha. lying to her family and sending high amounts of money, causes her father happy, her sister excited, and her mother onto what she is doing.This movie is not a tear-jerker, though some scenes may make you cry if you cry easily. Note the scene where Konkona finds out about Natasha and follows her to the hotel and then the breakdown which follows. Or the scene where her life is unfolding in front of her eyes. Or maybe the scene in which she lets the manager of the company take full advantage of her. They all leave a lasting impact on you, even after the movie has finished.Rani Mukherjee proves once again-she can act. We've seen her in many different characters, each with a different state of mind and under different circumstances. Konkona Sen Sharma also acted exceptionally well as the little sister. Kunal Kapoor is very convincing. Abishek Bachchan is just wasted. Anupam Kher is very good. Jaya Bachchan is alright.Definitely worth a watch, but watch this alone, not with family.

As anyone who has seen a trailer for this movie knows, Rani Mukherjee is a girl from a fine Banaras family on the economic downslide, who goes to Bombay intending to make money to help them out and finds herself in business as a high-class professional escort.When her younger sister, Konkona Sen Sharma, comes to Bombay to take up her own job in an ad agency, we see the two of them in a tonga on Marine Drive, the Queen's Necklace fulfilling its promise to swirl the city in glamor. When some ladies of the night pass by the carriage, Konkona makes an unthinking provincial girl's harsh comment, and her sister rebukes her sharply for her lack of compassion.In this passage of perfect dialogue, you have the main tension driving the story, and one of its many moments of good acting between well-drawn women characters. What is going to happen if the younger sister finds out what her big sister has done in order to secure her own future? Will Rani's sacrifice separate her forever from her sister's love and respect, and from a chance at acceptance in romance and marriage?I gather this is a Hindi movie theme known to the Indian audience. LCMD is far from perfect -- there's a mixing of story types going on probably, the old-style melodrama and something more modern and psychological -- but the good things about it make it more than worth seeing. There are four striking women characters (Jaya as mother, and Hema Malini in a special appearance that blesses the whole movie, including a dance that should have been much longer) who all seem relatively "real" in relation to Hindi movie women. They relate to each other in a decent, normal way (in small roles we have a less-nice girl and also a friend in Bombay as well).Another good thing: the parents are less than respect-worthy without being "bad" Hindi movie parents -- father clearly is an upper-class slacker who'd rather develop "symptoms" than get a job, rent out a room, sell the property and live within his means; and mother is interestingly ambivalent about what her daughter is doing in order to be sending home the cash.The cinematography of Banares and Bombay is worth the trip to the theaters, and the clothes are worth taking notes on, both the subtle and stunning cotton traditional clothes of the family in Banaras and Rani's high-style nicely top-of-the-city wardrobe. You might be reminded of India as the home of the most wonderful textiles on the planet.If the story is still Bollywoodized and Bollywood-y (how did a villain know the thing he knows? why don't we see a bit more of Rani's "work life"? why do we need a song that is actually set in Switzerland -- though maybe that's ironic/postmodern?), it nonetheless is a rich enough, fresh enough, and engaging enough experience, with great performances. As it really is about its women, the men are fine but you wouldn't focus on them in thinking about the movie. If you see the movie, you may find it raises good questions -- it it progressive? regressive? what do we mean by these things? -- worth talking and thinking about.

I can write a review for this movie in so few words that it will not even sound like a review. CRAP! Acting is brilliant from all the leading ladies. Guys have not much to do. This is where the good news ends. Its all downhill here on. The movie tries to portray that a girl, who wants to prove herself, and runs out of options, has nothing else to do, but turn to selling her body!! This is so demeaning, for women in general. And I am a guy, dunno what women feel about it. And also guys, in this situation, would do what? The movie could at least be set in another period, since this is not possible in current times. The songs are not good, and direction is average. People might be tempted to leave half way.