A day in the life of Lajja Shah. Evening: Atria Millenium Mall, Worli to Lower Parel

Cinematographer: Shaina Anand

Duration: 00:20:48; Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1; Hue: 20.684; Saturation: 0.032; Lightness: 0.361; Volume: 0.063; Cuts per Minute: 35.744; Words per Minute: 25.223

Lajja Shah is a freelance stylist residing in Malad E. Most days are unpredictable and are spent networking through the city. Speed, mobility and connectivity are crucial; all modes of transport are exploited. Here, filmmaker Shaina Anand (SA) follows Lajja in Atria Millenium Mall, as she picks up clothes from stores for photo shoots that she is the stylist for. After she finishes shopping, she takes a taxi back to Mahalaxmi station and then hops on the train. She reaches Lower Parel.

Lajja enters Atria Millenium Mall.

Related link: Atria Millenium Mall (news article from DNA)
Name boards of stores in Atria Mall: Navnit Motors, GFO, ... in vogue, Mango,
Dr Annie Besant road
dr annie besant road
gfo
mango
navnit motors
Atria Mall
Worli
worli
atria millenium mall
Mumbai
commuter
travel

SA is stopped by the mall's security guard and is asked to wait. Meanwhile Lajja and the plastic bags in her hand are being checked by the security guards inside.
SA: Wo Ladki jo hai undar, shooting karna hai uska. (That girl who's inside. I have to shoot her.)
Security guard: Uska permission nahin kia uska. Ek minute. (You don't have permission for that. One minute.)
allow
check
guard
permission
security
shoot
video camera

Lajja walks past the Victorinox showroom towards the escalator.
Showroom names: Victorinox
Sign: 2007 Spring collection
victorinox
ground floor
showroom

Lajja walks past Swarovski showroom and into the Promod outlet where she scans through some women's clothing.
Showroom names: Swarovski
outlet
promod
swarovski
clothes
clothing
store

Lajja enters another clothing store - Mango, where hip hop and R & B singer songwriter Akon's 'Smack that' is playing in the background. She scans through some more clothing.
akon
background
smack that
song
mango

Lajja looks through some dresses and skirts.
dress
skirt

Lajja takes one dress and one skirt and puts it against herself to see how she looks in the mirror.

Lajja takes one dress and one skirt and puts it against herself to see how she looks in the mirror.She goes back to another rack and picks up a green dress.
SA: My hand shook

Lajja scans through another rack full of clothing. She picks up a blue dress.

Three women customers in foreground as Lajja continues to scan through clothes in the background.
Dr Annie Besant road

At the food court, Lajja is seated and taking a quick nap. On the table are some plastic bags and an empty 1 litre bottle of Kinley mineral water.
Boards: Only Parathas - Pure Veg, New Zealand Natural, Play Park.
food court
kinley
new zealand natural
only parathas
play park

L: (on phone)... just tried calling. Thing is.... (at SA) should I go down. .... garbled.
Lajja takes the escalator downstairs
escalator

Long shot of Lajja going up an escalator.
bombay blue
china gate
dosa plaza
santinos
shamiana
Red cloth banner: China Gate, Dosa Plaza, Santinos, Shamiana
Store Sign: Bombay Blue

Lajja takes an escalator down. In the background the food court is visible.
Dr Annie Besant road
food court

Back at the security check.
SA: Permission ahe. (I have permission.)
Store Names: Mango, ...MNG, Nine....
allow
permission
shoot
video camera
mango
mng

SA: Come.
Store Names: Mango, ...MNG, Nine...
Security check, Lajja gives her bags at the counter to be checked. There are two lady guards and one man guard.
check
guard
security

L: Back up.
SA: Yeah.
The security guard in black is scanning people for metallic objects. In the background, Lajja boards another escalator.
scan
escalator

Lajja on another escalator downward bound. She gets off the escalator and heads towards the exit.
SA: Come! Rana go out.
Dr Annie Besant road

Lajja walking out of Atria mall past the security check. The Worli flyover and its traffic is visible.
Street sign: ... bank
flyover
guard
road
security check
traffic
dr annie besant road

Rajashtani women in brightly coloured saris and traditional white bangles, with their children smile.

Back in a taxi.
SA: ... alarmed. Wash you hair. You better wash your hair, it's really funky.
L: (Laughing) She put a comb in her bag.
SA: She put a comb in her bag, but she's not combed it in 5 days. Still not combed. Doesn't Channel [V]... garbled.
stylist
Lala Lajpat Rai Road
cab
drive
lala lajpat rai road

taxi

Passing by on Lala Lajpat Rai Road from where Haji Ali is in the background
... (garbled)
SA: Look here.
L: I've never been to the Dargah (mosque) have you? Have either of you.
SA: Yeah. I have. I want to go yaar (friend).
RA: Even I want to go.
L: It's so weird that I've lived in Bombay all my life and I've never been there. Is it nice Shaina.
SA: I'll tell you later. Right now I'm concentrating.
L: Sorry.
SA: Tie your hair...I mean move it behind your ears. Not sure you can see it... Never mind.
Mumbai
dargah (mosque)
haji ali

SA: Hey Laj. Buy a fashion magazine. Chal (OK) my treat.
L: Shut up!
SA: You've to read and all and pay him before he runs.
L: kithna. How much?
Little boy: Pachas (50)
L: Wow! It's huge man!
Small boy on the road, trying to sell Lajja a FNL magazine.
clarke road
fashion
informal economy
keshavarao khadye mg
little boy
magazine
Clarke road
Keshavarao Khadye MG
fnl

Clarke Road
L: Channel [V] VJ Sarah Jane, who's now Miss India.
Board: Sulabh
SA: You dressed her?
L: Not for Miss India
RA: For anything
L: Yeah yeah. She's been in Channel [V] for about 2-3 years, so we used to style her when she just came. After that, I stopped styling her.
Taxi passes by a public urinal. And stops at the traffic light at the Mahal
channel [v]
keshavarao khadye marg
miss india
sarah jane
style
stylist
vj

Clarke road
Keshavarao Khadye MG
Lajja leafs through the FNL magazine with a Cafe Coffee day paper cup in hand.
SA: Show that dress page.
L: This one
SA: Behind. It's damn cool. Then turn over. Go back. Rest back. Full, full. Throw your head back. Haan (Yes)
L: Like that, how?
SA: Then you can't breathe. So sit.
L: I'll sit like this. (shimmies down).
SA: Because there are two ladies in the background I want.
L: F.C. U. K! Fuck you... Fuck! All the clothes look the same man! Manish Arora. Ey! I styled for this. I know it looks really crap. But I styled for this. (Pointing at a Numero Uno advertisement)
SA: Why is his leg lost?
Clarke Road
advertisement
dress
fcuk
fnl
fuck
keshavarao khadye marg
manish arora
numero uno
style
stylist
cab
drive
taxi

Bapurao Jagtar Marg
L: I'm not being racist!
SA: No, no. Now I have to get you getting off here.
L: Bus. Left mein rukana. (Enough. Stop on the left.) Bus yaha left mein ruka dhijiye Bhaiyya. (Enough, here stop on the left, brother)
SA: Some meter shots I need.
The taxi takes a right turn off Mahalaxmi Race Course Road and stops outside the station. Lajja takes out her taxi meter card to check the price. The meter says 2.20. RA gets out of the front seat.
bapurao jagtar marg
meter card
price
read
driver
mahalaxmi
pay
station

Extreme close up of taxi meter with people walking on the footpath in the background.
L: One second. Kithna hoa bhaiyya? (How much is it, brother?)
Taxi driver: Thees 30.
L: Thees 30. It's 2.20 only.
meter
Mahalaxmi

Lajja makes her way toward Mahalaxmi station. She passes a few traffic police, receipt and ticket books in hand and on the scour for road rowdies.
book
checking
receipt
ticket
traffic police

Mahalaxmi station

Lajja enters Mahalaxmi station
L: We need to buy tickets.
mahalaxmi station

Lajja gets onto the weighing machine at the station. It has a colourful light display on.
Clock reads 4.30 pm.
display
light
weighing machine
clock
weight

Lajja comes with the token from the weighing machine.
Voice over loudspeaker announces train arrivals in the background.
SA: Now look at the clock.
L: Which clock.
SA: There behind you/
L: This is what my weight is.
SA: What?
L: 48. And it says I'm practical, romantic and a perfectionist.
arrive
machine
mahalaxmi
schedule
token
train
weighing

View from top of the stairs at the station of Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat (Washing Place )
dhobi ghat
(washing place )
mahalaxmi station

Lajja buys a lime soda from one of the stalls on the train platform.
L: Kithna (How much?)
juice
lime
platform

Lajja drinks her lime juice silhouetted against the train tracks and passing train.
railway
track

Electronic display reads that the next train to arrive on platform 2 is a slow train (S) to Borivali (BO) which will arrive in 3 minutes (03) and the time is 4.40
arrive
borivali
clock
display
electronic
slow

Train approaches. Lajja gets onto the First class Ladies' compartment.
SA: You'll sit.
first class
ladies compartment

local
train

Train leaves Mahalaxmi station. An inter-state train is slowly moving in the same direction on another track. Another local train passes in the opposite direction
inter-state

Mills in the background as the train approaches Lower Parel.
mahalaxmi
Lower Parel
lower parel
mill

Shot of the First Class Ladies' compartment as the train pulls in to Lower Parel station.
first class
ladies' compartment

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