The fairy tale with teeth, as the director Anvita Dutta herself calls Bulbbul. It is Anushka Sharma’s recent release on Netflix.
Bulbbul is an intoxicating yet strange piece of horror with eerie scenes which intrigue you. It is set in Bengal Presidency in 1881.
The portrayal of the patriarchal norms of the ancient Indian society brings goose bumps and scares you to the core.
A happy and inquisitive child grows to become a Thakurain and is mistreated by almost everyone.
The story begins with a typical Bengali wedding between two children Bulbbul (Tripti Dimri) and Satya (Avinash Tiwary), who grow up together with great affection between them or so she thought.
An innocent little girl grows up living in a dream world where together they create many fantasies, and later on live them too.
The story then twists and turns into various stages of their life where they finally grow up and face the realities of life.
After being separated for many years, the reunion brings about many questions.
The journey of an innocent girl into a woman is beautifully done and the issues are finely dealt with.
We also get to see major patriarchal rigidness in many dialogues, such as when Bulbbul and Satya start writing a story in a diary together and one day she is caught by her husband Bodo Thakur, he asks, “Kya hai ye?” She says, “Kuch niji (personal) kaam hai.”
On that he drops a bomb which goes like, ”Apne pati ke alawa aisa kya hai jo tumhara niji hai?” This shows the mentality of a whole generation.
Bulbbul also captures the essence of life – where a woman of the house is often tormented by the other women around.
A young Bulbbul is often countered by the bahu of the house Binodini (Paoli Dam) who controls her every second.
She teaches a young Bulbbul how secrets are kept in families, where she tells her – Thakuron ke ghar byahi ho, ye sab to hona hi tha, aadat daal lo, aur chup rehna.
Rahul Bose is seen in a double role as Bodo Thakur and Mejo Thakur. Goes without saying he does full justice to his characters.
Directed by Anvita Dutta, Bulbbul stars Tripti Dimri, Avinash Tiwary, Paoli Dam, Rahul Bose and Parambrata Chattopadhyay. Genre: Period Pieces,Social Issue Dramas, Horror, Supernatural Movies.
Final Statement: With an enigmatic smile, Bulbbul conquers the Chudail (witch) in the fantasies of her childhood and her youth. It is strange that we live with so many demons around us who damage in every possible way and yet people are afraid of the Chudail.
Director’s Note
It’s been a long time coming. The shadows we cast can come back to haunt us. The scariest demons live in the forest of our mind. Bulbbul will make a believer of you. – Anvita Dutt
