Lajja/Characters

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Vaidehi

• Baby Factory: Is seen and treated like this by her wealthy husband and father-in-law.
• Bathroom Break Out: Escapes through a bathroom window when she finds out Raghu wants to kill her after the baby is born.
• Domestic Abuse: Suffers this at the hand of Raghu
• Hot Mom
• It's the Journey That Counts
• Morning Sickness: Since she is two months' pregnant
• Naive Everygirl: Has some shades of this, mostly because she hasn't experienced the full extent of Honor-Related Abuse that women in her native country have. She learns quickly, though!
• The Protagonist
  • Pinball Protagonist
• World of Cardboard Speech
• You Can't Go Home Again: Is told this by her father when she tries to escape Raghu's abuse and philandering.

Maithili

• Christmas Cake: Because of the scandal at the wedding, and her rejection of her fiance's wealthy family, she almost became one, and would have had to commit suicide to save face.
• Daddy's Girl
• Honor-Related Abuse: She is questioned and called bad names because Raju hid out in her room (nothing actually happened, though.)
• Mistaken for Cheating
• Naive Everygirl
• Pair the Spares: Marries Raju at the end
• Second Love: Was about to marry her wealthy (but wimpy) college sweetheart, but after she rejects him, Raju steps in.
• Spoiled Sweet
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Calls her fiance's family out for greed, and for milking her father for dowry money.

Janki

• Bottle Fairy: Drinks to ease her stage fright, despite being 2 months pregnant
• Character Filibuster: All the main characters get one, but Janki is the most vociferous
• Cloudcuckoolander
• Curb Stomp Battle: during which she loses her unborn child
• Does Not Like Men: After being treated so badly by them.
• Honor-Related Abuse
• Hot Mom
• Hysterical Woman: Is written off as this...and worse.
• Large Ham: Well, she does work in theatre.
• Love Triangle: Is in a relationship with her costar Manish, but her theatre instructor/director Puroshottham wants her to be his mistress instead.
• Pregnant Badass
• Madhuri Dixit
• Mistaken for Cheating
• My Girl Is Not a Slut: Why Manish wants to leave her; he believes Puroshottham's lies.
• Rebellious Spirit
• Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: See Love Triangle
• Stepford Smiler
• Shotgun Wedding: Is supposed to have one of these with Manish, her boyfriend, and her baby's father.
• Take a Third Option: Her stunt does not go over well with the public, mainly because it was done during a religious play. She is given the option of going to Prison or a Bedlam House...and Puroshottham offers his protection in exchange for being his mistress. she ends up going to the asylum instead, mostly because she refused that offer.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Gives one to Manish for his cowardice and naivety, and to men in general during a play about Sita. Overlaps with a combination of "The Reason You Suck" Speech and a World of Cardboard Speech

Ramdulaari

• Badass
• Bollywood Nerd: Is learning from her son how to use a computer, and is teaching the people of her village computer literacy as well.
• Character Filibuster: Not quite as many as Janki has, but close.
• Determined Widow
• Gratuitous English
• Honor-Related Abuse: Is raped and murdered because her son Prakash is in love with Sushma, Gajendra's daughter.
• Hot Mom
• I Have a Family: Pleads with the men who turned against her. A new twist: These men are her family, or at least True Companions.
• The Medic: Works as a midwife
• Rape as Drama
• The Smart Guy: Is self-taught in many skills, and educates the women in the belief that one day things will be better for them if they have education.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Calls out the father of a newborn baby girl after he tried to drown her in a vat of milk.
• World of Cardboard Speech: Against female infanticide, and maltreatment of women/girls in general.

Raju

• Anil Kapoor
• Badass
• Cloudcuckoolander
• Good Samaritan
• Happily Married: By the end, he marries Maithili
• Lovable Rogue: he is a thief, basically.
• Nice Guy
• Running Gag: His sedative-laced biscuits

Raghu

• Angrish: Tends to grumble and spout off in a mix of both English and Hindi
• Domestic Abuse: Beats and berates Vaidehi
• Drives Like Crazy
• Face Heel Turn: Eventually sees what a Jerkass he's been and mends his ways.
• Gratuitous English
• Happily Married: By the end, he has improved his behavior and his marriage, and has (presumably) broken off his illicit relationship.
• The Loins Sleep Tonight: Is rendered impotent after a car accident
• Rich Bastard
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections
• Your Cheating Heart: Is sleeping with Anita, the wife of a business associate, and sees nothing wrong with this
• What the Hell, Hero?: Called out for cheating by Vaidehi

Bulwa

• Badass: Sort of a Robin Hood figure
• Berserk Button: Don't you dare hurt or abuse women or girls around him!
• Expy: A Darker and Edgier version of Raju
• Good Samaritan
• It's Personal: The reason for the aforementioned Berserk Button is that Gajendra tried to rape Bulwa's mother when she asked him for a small container of water during a drought. Thus he sees all attacks on females as an attack on his now-deceased mother.
• Just Like Robin Hood: he's a dacoit (bandit) who fights for the poor and oppressed in general and women in particular.
• Nice Guy
• Rape and Revenge: Avenges Ramdulaari
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech
• Whip Sword: his weapon of choice

Gajendra

• Bash Brothers: Works alongside his younger brother Virendra
• Big Bad
• Entitled to Have You: Believes this of Bhulwa's mother.
• Honor Before Reason
• I Have No Son: Disowns Sushma
• Overprotective Dad: Well, by modern Western standards, anyway...
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections: Lampshaded
• Screw the Rules, I Make Them
• Sex Is Evil and I Am Horny
• Sleazy Politician

Puroshottam

• All Women Are Lustful: Believes this
• Casting Couch: Is implied to put at least some of his female theatre-company-members (possibly including Janki) through this, or at least try.
• Cloudcuckoolander
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Keeps Lata confined to the house for fear that she'll be unfaithful (or people will think she is).
• Dirty Old Man
• Domestic Abuse
• Double Standard: He can go out to his heart's content, but if his wife so much as looks out the window there will be hell to pay.
• May-December Romance: Lata is much younger than he is.
• Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: Tries to win Janki's affection with money.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Money
• Take a Third Option: Offers Janki protection if she agrees to become his mistress.
• Wife Husbandry: Seems to think that because he took Janki in and raised her, that he is entitled to sex with her. Janki does not agree.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Tells Manish that Janki's child belongs to him (Puroshottam), that she has been cheating on him.

Lata

• Domestic Abuse: Is kept confined to the house by her jealous husband.
• Hikikomori: Though not of her own choice; see above.
• Mama Bear
• May-December Romance: Is married to Puroshottam, who is probably in his 50's or 60's (maybe even older). She doesn't look to be a day over 30, if even that.
• Shrinking Violet
• Took a Level in Badass: Finally stands up to Puroshottam after Vaidehi calls him out for what he allowed to happen to Janki.

Sushma

• Daddy's Girl
• Defiled Forever: Regarded as such for running off with Prakash, to the point where her family mourns as though she has died.
• My Girl Is Not a Slut
• Nice Guy: Warns Ramdulaari that her son is in danger
• Spoiled Sweet
• Type Caste: Why Gajendra doesn't approve of her Love Interest.

Prakash

• Bollywood Nerd: Studies in the city, and is bringing computers to the village to improve life there.
• Groin Attack: Averted; Gajendra wanted him castrated for being involved with Sushma
• Nice Guy
• Type Caste: Gajendra dislikes him because he's from a poor family, a lower caste.

Virendra:

• Bash Brothers: With Gajendra
• The Dragon