Mumbai, August 31, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff on Monday marked 25 years of Lajja, the Rajkumar Santoshi-directed drama that brought together an acclaimed ensemble led by Manisha Koirala, Madhuri Dixit, Rekha and Mahima Chaudhry.
Jackie shared a video montage of stills from the 2001 film on social media, featuring his character Raghu as well as several key moments involving the principal cast. The montage was set to Lata Mangeshkar’s Kaun Dagar Kaun Shehar, one of the songs from the film.
The actor captioned the post, “#Celebrating25YearsOfLajja”.
Released on August 31, 2001, Lajja was written, directed and produced by Santoshi. The film used the stories of four women to explore patriarchy, domestic abuse, dowry, female foeticide, sexual double standards and violence against women.
The central character, Vaidehi, played by Manisha Koirala, leaves her abusive husband Raghu, portrayed by Jackie Shroff, and returns to India after becoming pregnant and learning about his intentions. As Raghu pursues her, Vaidehi encounters three women whose experiences expose different forms of social and gender-based oppression.
Mahima Chaudhry played Maithili, a young bride who confronts her in-laws after they repeatedly demand more dowry from her family. Madhuri Dixit portrayed Janki, a theatre actor playing Sita in a Ramleela, who challenges the double standards surrounding a woman’s character and the traditional concept of Sita’s Agni Pariksha.
Rekha essayed Ramdulaari, a widowed village midwife and healer who promotes women’s education and self-reliance while confronting female infanticide, violence and the local power structure headed by Gajendra Singh, played by Danny Denzongpa.
The names of the four protagonists — Vaidehi, Maithili, Janki and Ramdulaari — are associated with Sita, reinforcing the film’s engagement with the idea of the idealised Indian woman and the expectations placed on her.
The ensemble cast also included Anil Kapoor as Raju, Ajay Devgn as Bulwa, Gulshan Grover as Virendra, Tinnu Anand as Purshottam, Sharman Joshi as Prakash, Samir Soni as Manish, Suresh Oberoi as Raghu’s father, Govind Namdeo as Hazarilal, Anjan Srivastava as Nekchand, Farida Jalal as Saroj and Rohini Hattangadi as Mrs Hazarilal, among others.
Sonali Bendre and Urmila Matondkar made special appearances, while Johny Lever, Viju Khote, Razak Khan, Asrani, Dina Pathak and Jagdeep were among the supporting actors.
The film’s music was composed primarily by Anu Malik, while Ilaiyaraaja handled the background score and composed Kaun Dagar Kaun Shehar. The soundtrack also featured songs including Badi Mushkil, Aa Hi Jaiye, Kaliyug Ki Sita, Jiyo Jiyo and Saajan Ke Ghar Jana Hai.
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