Woh Chokri
Encyclopedia
Woh Chokri (That Girl; ) is an Indian movie directed by Subhankar Ghosh and stars Pallavi Joshi
, Neena Gupta
, Paresh Rawal
and Om Puri
. Film won 3 National Film Awards
. Pallavi Joshi won National Film Award – Special Jury Award whereas Paresh Rawal won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
and Neena Gupta that of the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
for this movie.
) is one of the daughters-in-law of a prominent and wealthy family, who is unfortunately widowed. Still youthful and attractive, she gives in to the wiles of one of the men in the neighbourhood, Lalit Ramji (Paresh Rawal
), and starts living with him. She has a daughter, Afsara (Pallavi Joshi
) by him, and the three are portrayed as a happy family unit.
One day, Lalit disappears without explanation, and from then on, the lives of the abandoned mother and daughter go steadily downward. Afsara is forced to leave school through her erstwhile in-laws' machinations; with no income, their landlord is forced to let them go, and they have to move to a hutment colony, Geeta begins work as a maidservant in order to earn a living and support her daughter. One of the poignant themes in the movie is Afsara's relationship with her father, to whose illusory love she hangs on with a childlike and, in the end, horribly unjustified faith.
Learning that Lalit is now a successful politician, Afsara persuades her mother to travel to New Delhi to meet him as she is sure her father will rescue them from their terrible condition. Rejected, the mother returns, and having lost all hope and faith in human goodness, takes to drink. Soon after, she dies leaving her daughter aged 16 all alone.
The daughter takes up her mother's job as maidservant in the house of a widower (Om Puri
) of 15 years. He seems genuinely concerned for the welfare of the girl and slowly gains her trust and finally asks her to come live with him despite the age gap. After some initial reluctance, the girl finally accepts and starts living with Om Puri, and briefly the yong girl is restored to a secure life free of want. Her protector, then dies of a heart attack. His relatives accuse the girl of murder and she is taken into custody and questioned by the police. After a few months she is released for lack of evidence. Left to her own devices, she works for a time as a prostitute until she decides to move to Delhi and try to get in touch with her father.
In Delhi, she lives in the railway station with three other street children, even acquiring a status of leadership among them. One day, she learns that her father is coming to the city and will be giving a conference. She decides to attend and during the conference, she gets up and starts shouting to her father that she is her daughter. Paresh ignores her calls and she is led out by the police and left a few miles down the road.
She then realizes that her mother was right and that her father had really abandoned them to their fate. Faced with the treacherous cruelty that life can show, she is walking along, loudly lamenting her fate and reviling life, when one of her father's henchmen slips up behind her, and brutally slits her throat
The movie ends with her lying dead on the grass.
Pallavi Joshi
Pallavi Joshi is an Indian film/television/model actress. She is a one time National Film Award winning actress. She is the sister of child actor Master Alankar ....
, Neena Gupta
Neena Gupta
Neena Gupta is an Indian film and television actress and director-producer. She won the 1994 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Woh Chokri. She is a popular actress in Indian commercial cinema, but it is her work with art filmmakers of India, like Shyam Benegal that got her...
, Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal is an Indian actor of Gujarati background.Making his film debut in 1984, he mainly played supporting and villain roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Since 2000 he has mostly played comic roles.- Family and early life :...
and Om Puri
Om Puri
Om Puri is an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.-Early life:...
. Film won 3 National Film Awards
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
. Pallavi Joshi won National Film Award – Special Jury Award whereas Paresh Rawal won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor is an annual award that was first given in 1968. The actors to have won the most awards in this category include Nana Patekar, Atul Kulkarni, and Pankaj Kapoor, each have received two....
and Neena Gupta that of the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress winners:...
for this movie.
Plot
Geeta Devi (Neena GuptaNeena Gupta
Neena Gupta is an Indian film and television actress and director-producer. She won the 1994 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Woh Chokri. She is a popular actress in Indian commercial cinema, but it is her work with art filmmakers of India, like Shyam Benegal that got her...
) is one of the daughters-in-law of a prominent and wealthy family, who is unfortunately widowed. Still youthful and attractive, she gives in to the wiles of one of the men in the neighbourhood, Lalit Ramji (Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal is an Indian actor of Gujarati background.Making his film debut in 1984, he mainly played supporting and villain roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Since 2000 he has mostly played comic roles.- Family and early life :...
), and starts living with him. She has a daughter, Afsara (Pallavi Joshi
Pallavi Joshi
Pallavi Joshi is an Indian film/television/model actress. She is a one time National Film Award winning actress. She is the sister of child actor Master Alankar ....
) by him, and the three are portrayed as a happy family unit.
One day, Lalit disappears without explanation, and from then on, the lives of the abandoned mother and daughter go steadily downward. Afsara is forced to leave school through her erstwhile in-laws' machinations; with no income, their landlord is forced to let them go, and they have to move to a hutment colony, Geeta begins work as a maidservant in order to earn a living and support her daughter. One of the poignant themes in the movie is Afsara's relationship with her father, to whose illusory love she hangs on with a childlike and, in the end, horribly unjustified faith.
Learning that Lalit is now a successful politician, Afsara persuades her mother to travel to New Delhi to meet him as she is sure her father will rescue them from their terrible condition. Rejected, the mother returns, and having lost all hope and faith in human goodness, takes to drink. Soon after, she dies leaving her daughter aged 16 all alone.
The daughter takes up her mother's job as maidservant in the house of a widower (Om Puri
Om Puri
Om Puri is an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.-Early life:...
) of 15 years. He seems genuinely concerned for the welfare of the girl and slowly gains her trust and finally asks her to come live with him despite the age gap. After some initial reluctance, the girl finally accepts and starts living with Om Puri, and briefly the yong girl is restored to a secure life free of want. Her protector, then dies of a heart attack. His relatives accuse the girl of murder and she is taken into custody and questioned by the police. After a few months she is released for lack of evidence. Left to her own devices, she works for a time as a prostitute until she decides to move to Delhi and try to get in touch with her father.
In Delhi, she lives in the railway station with three other street children, even acquiring a status of leadership among them. One day, she learns that her father is coming to the city and will be giving a conference. She decides to attend and during the conference, she gets up and starts shouting to her father that she is her daughter. Paresh ignores her calls and she is led out by the police and left a few miles down the road.
She then realizes that her mother was right and that her father had really abandoned them to their fate. Faced with the treacherous cruelty that life can show, she is walking along, loudly lamenting her fate and reviling life, when one of her father's henchmen slips up behind her, and brutally slits her throat
The movie ends with her lying dead on the grass.