A feminist horror film that lets the message drive the narrative.
Based in the Bengal Presidency of the 1880s, the film revolves around Bulbbul (Tripti Dimri) who is a child of 12 when we first meet her and is just about to get married off to a much older man, Indranil (Rahul Bose) who is the Thakur of a big countryside Haveli. While scrounging for mangoes on the tress Bulbbul runs into the Thakur’s youngest brother Satya (Avinash Tiwary) who is around the same age as her and she immediately grows a liking towards him, as does he. The story sets up these two lovers who can never be together by the laws of marriage. Both of them grow up together in
the Haveli as each other’s companions through life which doesn’t sit well with Indra, so he decides to send his brother off to study in London. This is a huge turning point in the story for our lead character as she just lost her childhood friend and lover.
Satya returns 5 years later from London and notices that Bullbul has undergone a drastic personality change, Indra has left the Haveli and the middle brother has died. Meanwhile, the village has also witnessed several suspicious murders of male victims and the rumors are that it is all the handiwork of the 'Ulte pair vaali chudail jo pedo par rehti hai'.
After the rousing success of 'Pataal Lok' on Prime, Anushka Sharma brings the Clean Slate productions brand, over to Netflix. Anvita Dutt, who pens the screenplay and makes her directorial debut, is out to surprise us with her message heavy film filled with feminist undertones and traces of horror elements. Was she successful? Well............... yes and no.
The movie starts off with a sequence of shots, of the chudail flying across the treetops in the blood-red sky with grace, creating plenty of intrigue and interest within the viewer. They reel you in with the eerie narration of the famous grandmother’s tale all of us have heard as kids. But as the plot carries on, you realize that it is not as evenly spread out and is pretty one-note and predictable after the first act is over. It seems like a horror flick from all the promotional material but, the real horror here is not the big bad monster, it is the cruel systemic oppression of women during this time period. And though the story succeeds in conveying that to us, you are still left expecting a bit more from it.
That’s not to say that the movie does not have any redeeming qualities, it definitely does. The cinematography, for example, is gorgeous. The grand wide shots of the Haveli, the blood-red moon illuminating the night sky and every surface its light touches. Aesthetically the film is pretty to look at, I found myself pausing at certain scenes just to marvel at the beauty that it presents. The scenes are well composed, creating a sense of wonder and also this ominous feeling of ever-present danger lurking in the shadows throughout the duration of the film. Even, the scenes which are first thought to be harmless tender moments maintain that creepy vibe and an uneasy atmosphere for the viewers. Similar praises can be sung about the costume and set design as well, the women wear ornate saris and jewelry while the men can be seen sporting regal traditional outfits befitting the setting. The Haveli is grand and haunting, both at the same time giving off the feeling that terrible secrets are buried deep within its excellent marble flooring. The adjoining forests covered in red leaves also aid the supernatural motif.
The aesthetics often reminded me of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, in all the good ways.
The score composed by the genius Amit Trivedi is possibly my favorite aspect of the film, it somehow manages to convey innocence, wonder and underlying horror simultaneously, just like a nursery rhyme. If I had to point out one thing which immersed me the most it would be the score.
The subtext here is pretty strong, the flashbacks are tinted with cool blue tones signifying tranquility and impending doom. While the present-day scenes are laden with red; the color of anger, celebration, and menstruation. Just like her namesake, Bulbbul has always been among the trees; as can be observed in the opening scene itself. Played by the stunning Tripti Dimri she brings certain layers to the character a few actresses would be able to pull off. Displaying naivete and childlike innocence during the flashback scenes and exudes womanly confidence when we meet her years later as she has taken over as the Thakurain of the Haveli. Starring opposite to her is Avinash Tiwary who plays Satya, Bulbbul’s brother in law and childhood lover (Both of them starred together in 'Laila Majnu', which I did not care for). Their love story is heavily inspired by Bengali classics such as Dev Das; Star crossed lovers who are not meant to be together and that results in external and internal conflict.
Satya’s character is not guilty of any explicit crimes but is someone who benefits from the cruel system all the same. This aspect of his character prevents him from being another cookie-cutter good guy we see all the time. Both the leads did their jobs well overall.
What really piqued my interest was Binodini’s character played by Paoli Dam. She is conniving and downright repulsive sometimes, almost like an antagonist from an Indian soap opera but, at the same time, she is also a victim of the world. Her motivations are clearly explained in a pivotal scene of the film.
Rahul Bose also does a great job as the clear antagonist, playing the role of twin brothers, Indranil who Bulbbul gets married off to, and his younger brother Mahendra, who is mentally unstable. Both the roles are quite different from each other and require a different mindset to pull off which he did manage to do exceptionally well. He is stern, authoritative, and becomes the epitome of everything wrong within the movie’s world.
His performance as the maniacal Mahendra was especially disturbing.
Due to the predictability of the film, the climax ends up being lackluster and falls a bit short of the impact that the makers were hoping for. I did end up caring about what happens to the characters though which is as much I can say without delving into spoilers.
At the end of the day, 'Bulbbul' is a film that lets the message drive the story and not the other way around. I can’t help but feel this would’ve benefited more in a short film format. The cinematography and the score are aspects that really stand out, the set design is astonishing, the actors all do a good job especially Tripti Dimri who shines above the rest. If you have a Netflix subscription then I would recommend you to watch 'Bulbbul' in your free time.
Trailer:
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