WHY MOVIES SIMILAR TO BULBBUL SHOULD BE MADE MORE OFTEN IN MAINSTREAM CINEMA?

Indian Express Movie Review Scores it 3.5, Movies similar to Bulbbul are required in Cinema

Netflix released Bulbbul on 24 June 2020 and won the hearts of the Indian audience instantly. A new-age horror drama, mixed with a strong social message and proved to all how a perfect direction, storyline, characterization, and cinematography can give birth to a masterpiece. Directed by Anvita Dutt Guptan and produced by Anushka Sharma and Karnesh Sharma, the movie stands out because of the female-majority crew members which are quite rare nowadays. Bulbbul cast stars Tripti Dimri, Avinash Tiwary, Paoli Dam, Rahul Bose, and Parambrata Chattopadhyay.

The plot goes back to the 1881 Bengal, where the 5-year-old Bulbul gets married to a decade older man Indranil. Not being able to contemplate the situation around her as well as the marriage, she assumes that Indranil’s little brother Satya is her husband since his age is closer to that of hers. Days pass by as the two became best friends and almost spend their time together. Bulbbul falls for Satya, a matured unconditional love, but their friendship is misinterpreted by her husband and sister-in-law Binodini. Indranil feels jealous and sends Satya abroad for higher studies. Fueled up fire up by Binodini by whispering misapprehended notions about the friendship in his ears, he goes on and beats her up, breaking her feet to pieces.  Bulbbul is still recovering from the pain and shock when Mahendra enters and rapes her, which leads to her death. But through divine intervention, she jolts back to life. Binodini comes and cleans away the evidence of her husband’s rape while recounting all that she was told when she was married off to Mahendra.

Satya after returning from abroad goes on to find the mysteries behind the murders in the village and the so-called “chudail” in the forest. On the other hand, Satya gets jealous of the doctor and Bulbbul’s friendship and suspects him behind the murder. Soon, he finds the “chudail” and shoots her directly but of no use. Dr.Sudip discovers that she is no other than Bulbbul who is taking revenge against those men who do injustice against the women of the village. One year later, Satya has left, stating that he once wished to be like his elder brother, and was then scared to be. But not any longer, as all three brothers have finally the same blood on their hands. While in the haveli, Indranil, who returned to the mansion, hears Bulbbul calling him in her signature tone. Her form appears to be rising from ashes, and gives a sinister smile, implying she finally takes her revenge on him. What a Chudail story movie indeed!

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The Bulbbul movie is considered as the new age feminist story which tells the harsh and raw truth of the society. We might not be knowing but there still might be victims like Bulbbul who are kept quite by her family and manifests a happy, glossy life in front of the outside world. It tells the story of revenge and how women are divine children of the goddesses. Special effects (with the moonlight showing in red color, signifying blood, or the visual scenes of domestic violence) along with outstanding cinematography makes the movie different from others.

Bulbbul gives us a strong message of women empowerment, and why we still need women like Bulbbul as the symbol of feminism to bring justice to the victims. Whether it’s 1881 or 2020, the situation is still the same, and is unfortunate that we still need to fight for these. “Chudail” may be seen as a negative figure in the folklore and fairy tales, but she is the one doing the right thing for us. Anvita Dutt mixes the feudal with the supernatural, the spooky, the mythological, and the fablesque in a thoughtful, moving, and engaging manner. It has been applauded by the netizens and critics. The film gets positive responses and thumbs up, especially for the exceptional performance by the lead actor.

As per the Indian Express movie review, it has scored 3.5 out of 5 stars. This movie is a must-watch especially due to the performance of the female lead, Tripti Dimri. Avinash Tiwary and Rahul Bose also give credible performances. If you want a Chudail story movie, this is the movie to go for. Hopefully, movies similar to Bulbbul are made more often

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