Review of Saajan Ka Ghar

Juhi Chawla, a talented actress in her own right, is the sole protagonist in this stereotypical and melodramatic fare. This is one of several terrible, thankless roles she got to play around that time - the self-sacrificing, demure, purer-than-the-driven-snow kind of girl. Her father hates her because he lost his wife who died at Juhi's childbirth and genuinely believes she is the sole reason behind every trouble that befell his family. We, the audience, realise right from the beginning what her father fails to understand - that her presence actually brought luck to the family. This motif in the film shows an amusingly distorted and prejudiced mindset through which the film rejects one superstition by invariably reinforcing another.

I know, it's just a film, a fairytale-like story, but it's not just a film actually because it genuinely reflects an incredibly enraging mentality where everything is put on the slim shoulders of our heroine be it good or bad, and it is characteristic of so many films of the time. Interestingly, had it been taken seriously, it could have been a fascinating commentary on, say, the treatment of women in view of superstitious beliefs in conservative societies like the one depicted in the movie. The concept actually reminds one of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's classic Anupama, except it's much more melodramatic, much less credible and smart, and generally not kind to the lead character or the viewers. Better to avoid at any cost.