BULBBUL : THE SUPERNATURAL

Amidst the 2020 Lockdown, Netflix's Bulbbul was a big relief for me. The Anvita Dutt directed movie explores the supernatural effects empowering a woman's tolerance towards the brutal treatment and abuses received from men in various phases of her life. The movie tells that women break these shackles resulting in becoming someone beyond nature. The plot revolves around Bulbbul (Tripti Dimri) and the time period dates back to 1881 and is set in Bengal. The young Bulbbul is married to a much older man, Thakur Indraneel (Rahul Bose) who lives with his mentally challenged brother Mahendra (also Bose) & his wife Binodini (Paoli Dam), and their younger brother Satya (Avinash Tiwary). Bulbbul finds a companion in Satya and they are fond of each other. Satya is sent to London by Indraneel after which a series of dark incidents start taking place like Mahendra got killed due to a 'Chudail attack'. The movie takes a 20 years ahead where a matured Bulbbul is in charge of the Thakur Haveli since her husband left long ago and Binodini now lives in an ashram. Satya returns back from London and sees a totally matured and different Bulbbul and noticed Dr. Sudip (Parambrata) comes often to check Bulbbul's feet conditions. Many men of the area got killed gradually which was speculated by people as the Chudail's deed. Slowly, we unravel the mystery of Bulbbul and why men in the area are dying with such alarming consistency revealing the avenge by Kali Maa, the goddess of revenge. The film used symbolism and expressions. Even foreshadowing the attack on Bulbbul with cultural imagery is a stroke of brilliance by the creators of the film. Every moment of the film keeps you glued to the screen. Without showing much, Bulbbul says a lot with its well-placed symbolism. One cannot help but feel empathy for the real victims of the story – the women who were brutally hurt by the men, and later avenged by Kali Maa. Bulbbul is not the story of a witch or a goddess, but aims to throw light upon violence against women by men. There are many scenes that are uncomfortable to watch or distressing to consume and yet the hauntingly beautiful style of narration makes it hard to give up on this dark film. VARSHA KUMARI GIRI, 1ST SEMESTER