In an interview to rediff.com, Santoshi once said, "I feel that whenever the heroine's character is strong, the story becomes interesting. Otherwise, it becomes single dimensional." Perhaps that's what makes his execution of women-oriented subjects so credible.
Damini, his first in the genre, proved to be a breakthrough film. Besides abundant drama and a knock-out screenplay, it boasts of a career-best performance from Meenakshi Seshadri as a benevolent woman fighting against all odds to bring her raped maid's case to trial.
While Santoshi's other women-centric film, Lajja lacked the sincerity of Damini, it pressed on various issues like dowry, rape, domestic violence and unwed moms through the medium of its star-studded cast featuring Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, Manisha Koirala, Mahima Chaudhary, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgan and Danny Denzongpa.
Also Read: Movies to watch out for in 2008
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