I’ll be honest, when I watched the trailer of Bulbul, my initial thoughts were that we don’t need another “Dayan” (witch) movie in India. There’s enough of women turning into snakes or flies’ stories that do not provide any value. I was in for a surprise. The movie is a disturbingly delightful watch!
Set in the 1800s at Bengal provinces of India, the casted characters are from opulent families. The movie begins with child marriage, a practice which was common and considered normal at that time. With that piece of information, it’s the only spoiler sin I’ll commit with this review.
Bulbbul keeps you guessing. It’s tough to predict given how horror stories have evolved for Indian audience. There’s a sense of art about each frame. The screenplays are tastefully done with good attention to details where required. The movie reminded me of Devdas in parts for the sole reason of attention to details, and for Bram Stoker’s Dracula for the bold usage of reds, justifying the movie’s fantastical nature.
On the cast, three people held my attention – Tripti Dimri is a new name that I’ll look forward to now for upcoming films. The role as Binodini by Paoli Dam is a massive upgrade from her Hate Story days. Rahul Bose plays his double role well.
I enjoyed watching Bulbbul. Women will love it. Some open-minded men will enjoy it too. For the rest, it has elements that may seem provoking for its bold interpretation of old concepts and feministic nature.
Ansuhka Sharma came up with something really good. Bulbbul is worth your time.
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