Creative Quotient
Pranali (Nargis as an adult) is a beautiful village girl who is initiated during teenage into the Devdasi tradition by a lusty head-priest. When she finally protests, she is sold off to a Mumbai brothel run by a benevolent madam, Akka (Sudha Chandran). Gradually, she comes to accept her sordid future. But when a daughter is born and faces all the stigmata of being a sex-worker’s offspring, Pranali revolts against hypocritical society and decides to fight - for her daughter, for her fraternity and for herself. Aided by NRI social worker Vijay (Raman Trikha) and a Muslim cabbie Sultan (Raman Trikha) she and her colleagues Chanda (Dipsshikha), Kanchi (Rohini Kapoor) and Salma (Vaidehi Singh) begin the uphill battle. Their chief opponent is politician Keshav Prasad.
The story is narrated in flashback to the European wife of the social worker who has adopted Pranali’s daughter.

Technical Expertise:
There is a complete chasm between the social importance of the theme and the amateurish execution that barely connects. The last few reels in particular have a dry, “documentary” feel with the added burden of confused directionlessness in the script. None of the scenes have the wallop needed, and so many sequences, like Sultan’s chase, the school sequences and the political shennanigans peter out after creating hopes of high drama. The dialogues have punch or sparkles only at rare moments, and the accomplished music score (Kailash-Paresh-Naresh) goes waste due to the acutely disappointing use of the songs.
But Pranali’s biggest failure, apart from the vital pillars of script and direction, is the casting of Nargis as the protagonist - she neither fits the role nor is able to deliver the intensity and sensitivity quotient that the role needs, But Vaishnavi Rao as the child Pranali impresses. Upendra Limaye and Sudha Chandran play to the gallery, Raman Trikha is expresssionless, and the British actress’s character and performance are both fake. Only Dipsshikha, Vaidehi Singh, Rohini Kapoor and Sujata Segal (as the mad woman) pack some punch in their limited footage.

Verdict:
One star for the actors playing Pranali’s co-workers, especially Dipsshika, and one for the innate quality of the songs.