The eeriness is accentuated by the lack of character detailing (deliberate, I think). We donвЂ™t see the child growing into a woman, but we can sense how terrifying all that space would have been, and why Bulbbul must have clung to IndranilвЂ™s youngest brother, the age-appropriate Satya (Avinash Tiwary). SheвЂ™s surrounded by people who have gathered for the wedding, but IndranilвЂ™s mansion doesnвЂ™t even seem to have servants. The film opens with Bulbbul as a tiny thing (sheвЂ™s played as a grown-up by Tripti Dimri) being married off to Indranil ( Rahul Bose). Despite the timeframe, not a single Britisher is seen: thereвЂ™s just the odd reference to the Raj. Writer-director Anvita Dutt (who wrote another ghostly film for the same production company, Phillauri ) sets her story in an eerie fantasy world. Ask me if thereвЂ™s a loose thesis statement in the film, and IвЂ™ll propose this: A witch is a woman, too. Very early on in Bulbbul, the word вЂњ khoon вЂќ (blood) - uttered by a male - is juxtaposed over the image of a child bride leaving bright-red footprints with the alta painted on her soles. They are instead, curious marriages of wildness and domesticity, the real and the supernatural, the feral and the feminine. Both films weave in horror elements, but neither is a вЂњhorror movieвЂќ. Both stories are set in Bengal: Pari in present-day Kolkata, Bulbbul in the Bengal Presidency in the latter part of the 19th Century. And both times, these wings are clipped: either literally or metaphorically, the female protagonists end up chained. Both titles refer to winged creatures: oneвЂ™s a bird, the other an angel. If you think womenвЂ™s fight for equality is overrated and uncalled for, this will make you rethink your opinion.Bulbbul is produced by Anushka SharmaвЂ™s production outfit (she runs it with her brother), and it shares a few similarities with another film from this company: Pari.

Producers Anushka Sharma and Karnesh Sharma deserve a pat on the back for backing content thatвЂ™s intriguingly dark, layered and courageously different.ДЄnvita DuttвЂ™s film will vaguely remind you of Raj KapoorвЂ™s iconic Prem Rog, which took against a misogynistic society that looks at women as a prop meant to be owned by men. Haunting music by Amit Trivedi and historical costumes by Veera Kapur deserve a special mention. Rahul Bose, Paoli Dam and Parambrata Chattopadhyay are as integral to the story as the lead pair and deliver compelling performances. The actress displays immense growth as an actor and is bound to have a bright future ahead. Laila Majnu was an out and out Avinash Tiwary show and Bulbbul belongs to Tripti Dimri, who owns every frame with her striking good looks and mysterious charm. If Avinash pined for Tripti in the previous film, itвЂ™s the other way round here. On the positive side, talented newcomers Tripti Dimri and her Laila Majnu co-star Avinash Tiwary reunite in this film and interestingly, their roles are reversed here. A tighter narrative could also have worked better. For a period drama, the production design is a tad underwhelming. Excessive usage of red lighting in night scenes doesnвЂ™t quite work and feels amateurish. A lot is left unsaid and deserved a deeper understanding of characters. The story also feels incomplete when it comes to exploring relationships. The film moves at a languid pace and struggles to hold your attention. However, if watching people being tormented and traumatised, disturbs you, this oneвЂ™s not for you. Like its intriguing protagonist, thereвЂ™s more to Bulbbul, than meets the eye.

It reminds you what you are truly capable of, once you decide to avenge injustice and seek redemption. Can you draw strength from it instead? Bulbbul the film, reflects upon this thought as it condemns the culture of silence that women are subjected to.

A metaphor for caged existence, broken dreams, lost childhood, unrequited love and veiled sexual and emotional abuse. At its heart, Bulbbul is a melancholic social tragedy. DonвЂ™t go looking for an engaging thriller and you wonвЂ™t be disappointed.

Bulbul kannada movie review