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Clean Slate Films, the production house headed by Anushka
and Karnesh Sharma, is actually carefully cultivating a new sub-genre in Hindi
cinema - the feminist supernatural film. After Phillauri and Pari, we have
Bulbbul, which is the story of a chudail. These films upend traditional ideas
of what constitutes evil and what is scary. The horror isn’t a ghost or a witch
lurking in the forest. It’s the systemic oppression of women and the brutality
inflicted on them by men. Women break these shackles by becoming something
other than natural. Their spirit cannot be contained. As her name suggests,
Bulbbul was always meant to be amongst the trees. We first see her as a little
girl, sitting on a branch in bridal finery.
main cast -
Tripti Dimri as Bulbbul
Avinash Tiwary as Satya
Rahul Bose as Indranil / Mahendra
Paoli Dam as Binodini
story -
The film
starts in 1881 and is set in the Bengal Presidency. Bulbbul is about to be
married to a much older man. When she asks her aunt why she needs to wear a
toe-ring, her aunt explains, that there's a nerve in the toe that needs to be
pressed, otherwise the girl will fly away. Of course, it's going to take more
than that to control Bulbbul. The film then moves 20 years ahead, when she’s a
grown woman, commanding the haveli. Her brother-in-law Satya returns after five
years and slowly, we unravel the mystery of Bulbbul and why men in the area are
dying with such alarming consistency.. Red, which symbolizes celebration,
fertility and anger, is the dominant color motif, starting with the opening
credits, which play out against lush red flowers. We see red on Bulbbul’s feet,
which have been immersed in 'alta'. Key scenes, including the climax, are
bathed in red hues. Even the moon turns red. And of course, red is in the blood
that's being spilt. The violence is in sharp contrast to the film’s aesthetics,
which have been inspired by the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma. The looming
haveli, the ornate saris and jewelry, the exquisite interiors echo Sanjay Leela
Bhansali’s Devdas. Like Devdas and Paro in that film, Bulbbul and Satya are
childhood friends, who part because he is sent away. Satya also goes to study
law in London. Through childhood to adulthood, Satya has been Bulbbul’s
confidante and creative partner. They write a book together. But the
relationship between Satya and Bulbbul can only wreak havoc, because she is
married to his older brother Indranil who also has a twin, Mahendra, both
played by Rahul Bose. Bulbbul is a film about the cruelties of men and the
compromises that society forces women to make. But it’s set up as a spooky,
grandma’s tale. We get the persistent fog, the eerie sounds of the dense
forest, the horse carriages in which no one can feel safe.
about the actors and their characters -
The characters and their relationships are also etched with
care. The most intriguing is Binodini, Mahendra’s wife, played by the beauteous
Paoli Dam. Binodini is wily. She’s provocative and political. The actors
deliver assured performances. Tripti Dimri as Bulbbul seamlessly moves from
being a vulnerable girl, to a woman who revels in her strength. It’s nice to
see Tripti reunited with her Laila Majnu co-star Avinash Tiwary. Avinash’s role
is the most standard one here, but he infuses it with sincerity. Parambrata
Chattopadhyay is reliably good as the local doctor and Rahul delivers strong
performances as the twins – one who has a glimmer of a conscience and the other
who doesn’t.
watch trailer -
is it worth watching the film ?
Bulbbul has enough to admire, but ultimately
Anvita trips on her own writing. The care with which the characters and the
setting has been detailed doesn’t extend to the plot. The narrative begins with
the promise of layers, which we see in a character like Binodini, but it slowly
flattens out and becomes one-note. Especially some of the male characters, who
are there only to be murdered. The messaging overpowers the storytelling, which
deflates the grip of the film. And inevitably in the climax, Bulbbul falls into
that silly space that supernatural films often do. The special effects are
efficiently done, but when you start asking these questions, the spell is
broken. Bulbbul doesn’t coalesce into the fiery tale you really hope it will
become. But Anvita is a director with craft and ambition and that’s always
exciting. You can see Bulbbul on Netflix.
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