Movie Review: Bulbbul (Hindi)

Rendered in painterly shades of blues and crimsons, director Anvita Dutt's subversive debut Bulbbul isn't so much a supernatural horror as it's a dark, bewitching fairytale of unrequited love, heartbreak and trauma. The film, set during the Bengal Presidency between the late 19th century and early 20th century, presents a clash of the old and the new, a bygone era when traditions like child marriage, aristocracy, orthodoxy and superstitions were rife. The setting is so far removed from the world as we know it, yet in some ways it's not. Several decades have since passed by, but deep-seated notions of patriarchy, entitlement, and exploitation of women have continued to this day. The real horror, then, isn't an arboreal spirit that haunts the forests, but the untold torture so many women and girls go through at the hands of men.

An effortlessly distilled mix of chills and social commentary, Bulbbul takes the story of a witch and gives it a revisionist spin, transforming her from a mythical chudail into a dakini, a divine protector capable of inflicting untold violence on the men who thrive in a feudal world that revels in the subjugation and enslavement of women. It's also about the loss of innocence and the ability of a woman to be in charge of her narrative rather than become one. Blending elements of a gory paranormal revenge thriller and a stylish period-fantasy canvas that bears stark witness to the horrors of women, Bulbbul slowly, but steadily, reveals itself in increments, unleashing an uneasy portrait of jealousy, sickening domestic violence and toxic masculinity. It's at once otherworldly, eerie, and compelling.