Kaal (2007) aka Our Time

KAAL is an introspective journey into the lives of four women who are trapped in the world of human trafficking because of poverty. They are lured by an agent who promises them a better life in a distant city. Betrayed in love and let down by family members, they change their names and sneak into a metropolis.

The real drama unfolds when the young women, utterly lost in the city's glitter and glamor, become call-girls for the sake of survival. Slowly their dreams change, they now hunger for more money in the new environment. Four girls are abducted in various ways by the local middleman Ratan (Rudranil Ghosh). They are assembled at a remote place on the border of the village. The girls depart to Kolkata by different routes with various agents. On arriving, they are taken to the business headquarters and Ratan takes his payment from the boss of the racket, who is a woman. Ranidi (the boss, played by Sandhya Shetty) grooms the depressed and oppressed girls and gives them a complete make over in a short time.

The movie depicts the corruption associated with their entire business. The girls accept the fact that money is better than sunshine and sweeter than honey. They forget their miserable past. They get caught up in making more money and buying more fun. They understand that surviving in this treacherous world is not possible through love, honesty and humanity. Hence they let themselves drain away in the world of consuming and consumption. The girls are shown traveling to the top hotels in Kolkata. The middleman Ratan is shown trying to go to Singapore. The village police inspector and the other partners in the game( the Indian military) continue to operate.

The movie concludes on a negative note. It depicts the basic reality of how simple girls from villages all over India are being stolen, sold and used in the open market of sex and lust in metropolitan cities. The movie shows a never-ending oppression of women and decay of human values. Things become intriguing when a European girl, who has suffered the same fate at the hands of the traffickers, starts sharing their apartment.

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