Bulbbul: A once upon a tale

It doesn’t take too much for a viewer to identify that one is witnessing a fairy tale in Anvita Dutt’s directorial debut Bulbbul. The film set in the late 19th and early 20th century follows the journey of Bulbbul, a kid, who is wedded to a landlord, Indranil. Indranil, played by Rahul Bose, has an identical twin Mahendra and a younger brother Satya. Bulbbul and Satya form a special relationship simply because Satya is the only one who’s of Bulbbul’s age at Indranil’s place.

This bond which sparked because of their age further develops based on the literary interests both Satya and Bulbbul have. Their relationship reminded me of Satyajit Ray’s Charulata, which was based on Tagore’s novella Nastanirh (The Broken Nest). Like Charulata, this story too is set in Bengal. While Charulata explores the relationship between the two, this film explores the demons of a patriarchal society.

At Indranil's haveli, Satya is the only escape for Bulbbul. It’s an escape from the world she’s living, into the world they were creating. The two of them were writing a book together. And when Satya is moving out to London, there’s a brilliantly staged scene where we get to see Bulbbul looking at Satya’s departure through her window. The window bars look similar to that of a jail. The haveli, without Satya, feels like a prison to Bulbbul.

A poster of Bulbbul.

The film is rich in its storytelling. Be it the meticulous production design, or the red oozing frames of Siddharth Diwan. The world bleeds with red during the night. Reminding us of the horrors that take place during these dark hours. These aren’t the horrors of a chudail. These are the atrocities that the women face. Be it outside, or in home, or in one’s own bedroom and bathroom. The horrors were so aesthetically shot, that it made me uncomfortable. I didn’t want to blink but at the same time wanted to look away from the screen. That’s the kind of position it put me in.

Complementing the on-screen beauty is the sound and the music. The eerie ethereal music by Amit Trivedi heightened my experience of this world. It didn’t call for too much attention either.

Added to this is the performance by Tripti Dimri as Bulbbul. I was in awe of her performance. Be it as the innocent girl or as the matured, confident and commanding individual. I was mesmerized by her smile. I wanted more and more of it. Rahul Bose, as always, was great too. But, Tripti Dimri’s performance had all my attention.

In closing, this is a fantastic directorial debut by Anvita Dutt. The film worked really well for me. It felt like I went back in a time-machine to this ambiguous place in Bengal for an hour and a half. With the kind of performance and storytelling, I wouldn’t have hesitated to experience it for a longer time.

For more such reads, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.