Gorgeous yet Overbearing | Deeply Flawed yet Intoxicating | Feminist yet Problematic
P.S. No major or obvious spoilers here. So chill and read on, whether you’re yet to watch Bulbbul on Netflix or not.
“Thakur Thakur khel rahe ho, bhabhi?”
When the endearing and foreign educated Satya passes this casually sexist remark on his elder brother’s wife, Thakurain, Bulbbul, something hits home as a girl.
I cringe.
Women in our society are not taken as seriously in authoritative roles and positions as their male counterparts.
Satya, played by the talented Avinash Tiwary, is the youngest of the three brothers in the Thakur (feudal lords) family of the pre-Independence Bengal. He has just returned from London after about five years, after he was packed off owing to some ulterior motives by his sinister elder brother, Thakur Indranil, played by an adroit, Rahul Bose.
Satya is the childhood pal of Bulbbul, played by the sensational Tripti Dimri, in a career-defining role. He is the one person she held onto since she came into this Badi Haveli as a child bride. He has been her one true friend and confidante. He is the one with whom she shared so many stories. He is the one she grew up with. He was the one she always found comfort in.
The undeniable chemistry, the uncontrollable attraction, the unmistakable compatibility and the palpable tension between Satya and Bulbbul, were more than enough to have shaken the thick walls and deep foundations of the Haveli. So much so that their friendship shapes the lives of not just their own but everyone else in their vicinity.
And yet, here was the same Satya, all grown up into a “man” exulting his “manliness” to Bulbbul, by subtly showing “her place” to her. She can’t be a “Thakur”, after all she is a woman. She can only play on the sidelines.
“Ab hum aa gaye hain na bhabhi. Aap araam kijiye. Hum sab sambhaal lenge.”
The feminist tropes are unmissable in this film. As an Indian woman, things were far too familiar for my comfort, never mind the difference of hundreds of years in her story and ours. This film is an uncomfortable reminder of how far we still have to go as a culture, as a society, when it comes to gender equality.
And that’s one of the biggest wins of Bulbbul. It depicts the real life horrors of being a woman in this male-dominated world with so much brutality. It doesn’t shy away from putting it upfront that it doesn’t matter whether you’re a rich woman, or a poor one, whether you’re a child or a grown-up, whether you belong to a powerful family or not, a woman is an inferior human being in man’s world. Ironically, we are all equal and all together in this misery of ours.
In Bulbbul, real life horrors of being a woman are so poignant that fantastical horrors fall short.
If Bulbbul is considered as a movie belonging to the genre of horror then we’ve probably achieved a very different milestone here.
Let’s dive some more into the mysterious world of Bulbbul.
Red is not just a color in Bulbbul’s world
This film is heavy on semiotics. The color Red is more of a story tool, a characteristic rather than just colore toen to set the right ambience. Bulbbul’s world bathes in gorgeous shades of red, from dark red to light pink. The shades on screen change with the mood of the scene, setting the right tone and feel. The color red gives a depth to the visual storytelling of Bulbbul. It also adds the right touch of mystery and mystique to the world that characters of this fantastical tale inhabit.
Red is the color of celebration, of violation, of desperation, of violence, of murder, of salvation, of revenge, of comfort, of love, of hate and so much more. Red is a very important color for women in not just Bengali culture but through most parts of India. Above all, Red is the color of good fortune for married women, color of ‘suhag’ , of ‘sindoor’ in this country.
When women in our country have all the blessings aka "a husband" (good or bad is immaterial in this aspect), their life is full of the bright red color. And when the husband dies, they’re devoid of all color, especially the red color.
In Bulbbul, red is the color of all women and everything good or bad, that being a woman brings with it.
Bulbbul’s world is red and it’s gorgeous. It’s visually stunning.
Watch out for little things, as those matter the most;
in cinema and in life alike
In the narrative of Bulbbul, every small detail matters and is intentional. The age-old story of the witch with the twisted legs. I have heard it countless times, and I’m sure many of you have heard it too. The witch with an unquenchable thirst of men’s blood. Men playing the victims of the witch. Her mystical powers and her mind-numbing beauty. Her long, wavy and tangled hair. Her inviting demeanor, her revealing clothes. Her killer smile and her inviting persona.
Poor men (pun intended), lured and hunted by the witch. And you wonder, why? Well.
The reference to wearing boots, or lack thereof. Boots used to be a true luxury back in those times. And we are talking about Boots specifically, not just any shoes. Boots are also considered masculine. Bulbbul, doesn’t like to wear those until she does. And then she can’t do without those. Her boots are not a mere accessory, they’re essential to her being. And well, those vintage suede boots are drool worthy, no doubt.
The sarees and jewelry and the overall grandeur of Bulbbul as ‘Badi Bahu’, as against the widowed Binodini, played powerfully by Paoli Dam. I wish Binodini’s character was explored more. She deserves a whole spin-off for herself. And the scheming, jealous, deprived Binodini is powerful in her own not-so-obvious ways. Despite her shortcomings, your heart goes out to her. She is a victim of her own trappings.
“Kuch thaki thaki si lag rahi hain, badi bahu. Aur yeh rang bhi to aisa pahna hai, slate-y.”
Binodini taunts Bulbbul, with the sharpness of her knife-like words.
“Ab sabki kismat aap jaisi kahan, didi! Jo is safed rang mein bhi sundar lagen.”
Pat comes the reply from Bulbbul who is unshakable.
Ah, the delicious and savage taunts and comebacks of this narrative. Savor those.
And then there is of course the big Haveli as a backdrop of everything happening in this mysterious world of Bulbbul.
“Badi haveliyon mein bade raaz hote hain, badi bahu. Chup rahna.”
Powerful and free-willed women have always been considered a threat to the society
Bulbbul grows from an innocent young girl to a self assured, shrewd and powerful femme fatale, the “Thakurain” of the Haveli. She keenly attends to matters of the village, of her household, of police, of property and even of family matters. And she does all of this with a killer smile, ethereal beauty, heavy sarees, intricate jewelry, and not to forget a brutally broken heart and soul. She is running the show when there is no one else left to do their job. She is the power center of that little fantastical world.
And that makes her childhood buddy, her confidante, her brother-in-law, Satya very uncomfortable. He just can’t wrap his head around the idea of she being in-charge. Never mind that he has just come back to India after an illustrious, modern, foreign education. He is the irony of the world that we live in.
We all have that one Satya in our life and we could truly do without him.
Who is modern on surface and so backward in reality. Who likes women to be forever coy, shy, beautiful, pretty little things of his imagination. Who feels threatened by powerful women. Who has an undying itch to prove his manhood, his machismo. Who wouldn’t think twice before resorting to violence to prove his worth. Who is petty, insecure and jealous.
No, thank you. The world is better off without him.
When men feel threatened they respond with acts of violence and violation
Satya is just a different version of his elder brothers. Boy and men in this family are truly sinister.
Indranil and Mahendra are identical twins. Indranil is the ‘Thakur’, the man of the house. Mahendra is challenged in his mental development. Both are played by the ever-brilliant and seemingly ageless, Rahul Bose. He is a true treat to watch even in his limited screen time in the movie. It makes me wonder why he is so under-utilized. I would love to watch more of him.
He brings alive the real life horrors in the form of both Indranil and Mahendra. In the scenes of physical violence, his speechless sinister act sends chills down the spine. His portrayal of patriarchy in Bulbbul is scarier than most ghosts in other movies. Double dose of silent brutality depicted by both his characters, is the true horror element of this film. Both Indranil and Mahendra unleash terror in their own ways, one in his sadistic attempt to establish authority, another in his uncontrollable ‘manly’ urges.
So where it all goes wrong, then?
With all its brilliance and intoxicating visual beauty, Bulbbul still falters at many levels for me and leaves me feeling a bit frustrated as an invested viewer.
It falls into many stereotypical tropes that it is so badly trying to shake.
Why is Binodini so badly pitted against Bulbbul? Why can’t two women be anything else except arch enemies?
Why does a woman need absolute violation and violence to come into her own?
Why does the coming-of-age story of a powerful woman has to be a stereotypical cycle of tragedy - violence - revenge - sacrifice?
Why does she need to have men with golden hearts to help her cause?
Why do we need to fall back on mythical powers, Kaali Maa and Chudail to bring justice to women?
Why do we need to re-emphasize and justify such horrible and problematic stereotypes which do more harm than good? Witch-hunting anyone?
Why is feminism so widely misunderstood even by its advocates, like the makers of this film?
Despite these problematic gaps in Bulbbul, it still is one of the finest content to watch on Netflix India in the recent times, especially after many terrible content mishaps lately.
How did you like Bulbbul and her fantastical feminist tale?
Leave your thoughts in the comments section.