Movie Monday August 15: Bulbbul

My pick for this week is a Bulbbul, a fascinating movie that explores modern themes like women’s empowerment and social justice but in a historical setting. It’s a pretty heavy movie, but I’ve wanted to watch it for a while.

**Warning, mild spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t watched the movie yet, what are you doing?**

Satya (Avinash Tiwary), the third brother to a Bengali noble family, returns to the family estate after five years spent in London. The home he left is now completely changed. His eldest brother Indranil (Rahul Bose) is gone, leaving his wife Bulbbul (Tripti Dimri), a former child-bride closer to Satya’s age, to run the estate. Satya finds his sister-in-law transformed from an innocent girl into an outspoken and strong woman. Murders of male villagers coincide with his return, fueling the folktale of the demon woman, or chudail. The first death occurred three years prior. The victim, Satya’s mentally impaired brother Mahendra (Bose), was found by his wife Binodini (Paoli Dam) during a festival celebration. Satya sets off to investigate the murders and begins to take responsibility for the village’s problems, taking away Bulbbul’s newfound control. He suspects Dr. Sudip (Parambrata Chattopadhyay) of being the murderer, more because of the doctor’s friendship with Bulbbul. What he finds is actually more twisted and horrifying than a human culprit. The physical and psychological abuse that the women of the village, including Bulbbul, face inspires a chudail to take vengeance for them. Not only that, but secrets, jealousy, and threats only add fuel to the fire. Satya never suspects who the chudail actually is until it’s too late.

I really enjoyed Bulbbul. It’s visually beautiful, from the cinematography to its use of colors to convey tone and suspense. The acting is also well done for a fairly straightforward plot, especially Tripit Dimri’s Bulbbul. The use of flashbacks show the viewer how much she has transformed and what she went through in order to become the woman she is. I really enjoyed the character and thought Dimri’s presence really made Bulbbul come alive in even the simplest of shots. Rahul Bose was also disturbingly fantastic in the dual roles of Indranil and Mahendra. Both characters are menacing, but in such different ways. The nuance’s Bose brought to each role really made the few scenes they were in really standout.

The themes and topics covered in the movie are definitely modern, especially in regards to how it portrays female empowerment and revenge. I liked how it used traditional folklore and a specific time period, Bengal under British rule, to create a revisionist version of what could’ve been. I don’t know much about the history of the region in regards to how women were treated, but I’m assuming it was probably far worse than the movie depicts. 

Anvita Dutt, writer and director of Bulbbul, tows a fine line between making a period film and one that brings history into modern context. The gothic influences also help create a horror vibe that felt familiar yet kept me guessing until the final third of the film. I figured out who the chudail is fairly easily, but I think that could be the point. It’s so obvious to us because we can take in the clue Dutt leaves behind (think shots of feet and some of the dialogue between Satya and Bulbbul). However, it still takes a while for Satya to figure it out. He’s supposed to be blinded by his own prejudices and opinions that it takes actually seeing the chudail for him to believe.

Overall, I think Bulbbul accomplishes what it set out to do: tell a relevant story grounded in Bengali folklore and tradition while incorporating gothic and horror elements. 

One moment that caught me off guard: When the chudail first appeared. I didn’t think I’d get to see her till much later, since most horror and gothic films hold off on the “monster’s” reveal. 

One moment that made me cry: When Bulbbul is put on bedrest after her injury and is attacked. I won’t say more, but it is a very visceral scene, as well as the scene with Binodini right after. It paints a picture of how women had to live their lives back then (and probably still today in some places).

I’d give Bulbbul 7.5 Bubbuls fanning herself out of 10. Honestly, I wish I was that graceful.