An Engaging Fable about Despicable Horrors

Movie: Bulbbul

Cast: Tripti Dimri, Avinash Tiwary, Rahul Bose, Paoli Dam, Parambrata Chattopadhyay

Rating: 3.5/5

"Her nest burns, her forest burns and so she burns along"

Bulbbul shows how ghosts and witches don’t make a horror movie, but the horrors people endure in real life do.

The movie starts with a wedding ceremony taking place at a house in Bengal Presidency during the year 1881. The bride is a very young girl, Bulbbul who is playing around as she cannot fathom the idea of marriage at that age. She instantly connects with the young boy Satya, who is the youngest brother of her would-be adult husband Indranil. Before she is married off, her aunt explains her the importance of wearing a toe ring that it helps keep women in control and prevent them from flying off like a free bird.

Bulbbul searches for her family on her way to her new home but soon grasps the reality. This portrays the horrors of child marriage where the innocence of a child is lost so soon. She encounters her husband’s (Indranil) mentally unstable twin brother Mahendra, who treats her like a doll. It signifies the objectification of women which has been prevalent since ages. 

Her new friend Satya narrates scary stories about a Chudail (Witch) who lives in the trees, walks with twisted ankles and comes out at night to eat the princess.

Then the story leaps 20 years ahead, where an adult Satya (Avinash Tiwary) is shown returning home on a carriage. The setup of the scene with reddish moonlight in the dark gives it a surreal and creepy look and indicates that this movie will be presented in a fable style. It also foreshadows the presence of a Chudail (Witch). To Satya's surprise, he meets a completely new Bulbbul (Tripti Dimri) who is a confident and authoritative woman instead of the sweet and innocent girl, who had come to the house as the "boro bou" years ago. In turn of events, Binodini (Paoli Dam), who was once a cunning and shrewd woman, is now shown at the complete mercy of Bulbbul.

Then we are introduced to a very mysterious and fascinating character Dr Sudip (Parambrata Chattopadhyay) who is the family doctor of their house. Subtle taunts by Satya on Bulbbul (like his objection on her not wearing her veil in front of strangers) reveals his hidden chauvinism which has been passed across generations in this family. 

The story goes into multiple flashbacks to present the back stories of every character and the present day situation.

Bulbbul is shown to be going through an array of emotions in which she is sometimes bubbling with happiness, while in another instant she is plunged into despair and loneliness.

In a very beautiful scene, she is shown looking outside the window waiting for the return of the person she truly loves, with the full moon shining and beautiful temple framework. The camera moves around showing Bulbbul going about normal life in his absence but her mind and heart are still at the window waiting for him.

In a barbaric scene, Bulbbul is shown to be hit mercilessly with a steel rod. This scene signifies the vicious cycle of domestic violence which women have to go through in their life. When they try to soar like a free bird, their wings are clipped in this way. The director tends to overuse the slow motion technique in the scene, which was not necessary to project the pain through which the protagonist is going through.

Dr. Sudip is the only male character in the film, who respects and admires Bulbbul, and women in general. Such men are quintessential for the uplift and empowerment women in this unjust society.

Then we witness one of the most harrowing and disturbing scenes in which a helpless injured Bulbbul is raped. The sound of the bells and her legs bleeding make the scene more gruesome. This breaks Bulbbul and kills the innocent sweet girl inside her. In a very distant scene, Binodini is shown explaining Bulbbul repeatedly that she needs to keep quiet about the incident. She tries to justify the act, which shows how for generations women have been taught to tolerate grave torture and injustice.

Woman is also compared with a doll in multiple instances, a doll with which a man can play in whichever way he wants. Throughout the movie, Bulbbul’s feet are highlighted in various scenes like her first scene where only her feet are seen dangling from the tree, her alta-laden feet making footprints during the wedding ceremony, Indranil complaining she never wears shoes and her feet hanging from bandages, foreshadowing the climax. 

The climax shows how a patriarchal society demonizes strong and independent women. 

This movie is not a typical horror movie. Rather it is about the horrors which women have gone through for ages in this patriarchal and chauvinist society. 

First time director Anvita Dutt sets up a haunting and mystical environment for the movie and keeps you invested in the story of Bulbbul. She captures the various emotions that Bulbbul undergoes beautifully. She does tend to overdo some scenes to focus on style. But presenting the movie in the form of an Indian folklore story makes it very distinctive.

The screenplay by Anvita Dutt is along the lines of a conventional witch narrative, but she beautifully incorporates the horrors women have to endure in real life through the tale of Bulbbul. Her story is greatly influenced  Rabindranath Tagore's stories, that comprise of strong independent women as the central character.

The cinematographer Siddharth Diwan captures the characters and their expressions beautifully. The use of reddish light as a backdrop for the movie is nicely captured to give it an eerie and spooky feeling. But he sometimes tries too many techniques to capture scenes that create shambles. For example, the shaky camera for a chase scene was unnecessary.

The acting ensemble delivers except Avinash Tiwary, who fails to bring life to his character. Tripti Dimri gives a performance to remember, where her expressions and body language captures the essence and emotions of the character beautifully. Her transformation from a sweet and simple girl to an authoritative woman is brilliant. Paoli Dam is effortless as Binodini and it’s a pity that her character had such a limited scope. Parambrata is very likeable as Dr Sudip and gives a subtle but impressive performance. Rahul Bose comes back after a hiatus and gives a very commendable and controlled performance as the twin brothers Indranil and Mahendra.

The background music by Amit Trivedi is perfect and not overdone. The costumes were not upto the mark as per the time period but the misses were very minute.

This Movie is path breaking in the genre of horror movies. We need more movies like this that remind us that the injustice faced by women is still continuing and it is time to overcome it.