Netflix's Bulbbul - A power-packed women-centric paranormal film that might just change the game
Updated: Nov 5, 2020
Netflix's Bulbbul written by Anvita Dutt , produced by Anushka Sharma is more than a horror movie ; set in 1880s Bengal Presidency , the initial vibe of the movie was slightly similar to Anurag Basu's Stories of Rabindranath Tagore but as the movie progressed it built an own identity for itself.
The power-packed performances of Tripti Dimri ( Bulbbul ) and Avinash Tiwary ( Satya ) stole the show , the duo was previously seen together in Imtiaz Ali's Laila Majnu , a decent watch which bombed at the box office.
The gradual development of the lead character ( Bulbbul ) fascinates the viewers. From a child bride to a young naive woman to a supernatural creature or to be more precise a petni. Supernatural creatures have been an important part of folklore, a petni is a woman who died an unnatural death, their feet point backward and they exist to disrupt the patriarchal norms of the society. Often Bengali writers like Rabindranath Tagore used this paranormal element in their stories to express the plight faced by the women. Bulbbul as a character has its layers, she was married when she was a child to a man who was much older, still, the girl managed to live a satisfied life; the story turned ugly when she was beaten up by her husband who broke her legs and while she lay on the bed , helpless, with bandages all over her legs , she was raped by her brother in law. The girl is unable to survive the second trauma and loses her life , the paranormal element of the story begins here and she comes back to life as a petni or a chudail. Now it was her time to avenge her death and save the lives of other women who are being raped , tortured and beaten up.
The movie is highly inspired by folk tales and certain elements of the movie add to the viewers experience like the peacock feather fan which Bulbbul holds. Peacock feathers are a symbol of richness and prosperity , the feathers of the divine bird are said to give the wearer hypnotizing powers. The peacock feather fan surely makes Bulbbul look abundant, confident and graceful. The color red has also been deftly used in the second half of the film , which makes the scenes powerful and adds seriousness to them.
Interestingly, as a child Bulbbul was always fascinated by horror stories and chudails , little did the girl know that she would become one.
Avinash Tiwary's character , Satya pushes the story forward and helps to bring about the "wave of change" towards the end of the movie.
The amazing sets and the fabulous cinematography perfectly blended with the powerful performances of the actors. The film turned out to be engrossing and was not a quintessential horror movie one would expect it to be. Also, the movie delivers an important message.
IMDb rating - 6.6/10
Go watch it on Netflix!
Art by Vanshika Mittal
Check out her artworks on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/vanshi__m/
If you liked this article , please subscribe and leave a like!
Other articles you might like-
The layers of Dev D and Netflix's Choked - Link
Irfan Khan's Lunchbox-An almost Oscar nomination - Link
Taylor Swift's Miss Americana - Link
Tamasha and Carl Roger's Congruence theory - Link