What actions should HR and business leaders take to curb mental harassment at work? Share your thoughts.
Bulbul, a movie running on Netflix, is a beautiful supernatural tale where a witch is on a killing spree.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead.
Bulbul is a period film, and is set in 19th Century Bengal. It was produced under the banner of Clean Slate Filmz which has brought us other horror thrillers like Pari and Paatal Lok. All of these films have helped advance the horror and fantasy genres in Bollywood and explored them with a dash of social commentary. Bulbul does not disappoint either with its poignant storytelling by writer-director Anvita Dutt.
Bulbuls are birds that are highly vocal.
If you clip a bulbul’s wings and tighten its vocal cords, it cannot utter a sound. But what if her wings grow back as eagles and she learns to warble like a cuckoo? The real-life bulbul becomes a fictional phoenix. Such is the character of Bulbul, whose tale starts as a domestic tragedy and then turns into a mystical fantasy.
Like the beautiful red moon, bulbul’s feet are red with alta then she is made to wear toe rings to curb her impulsiveness. They are then dipped in vermillion and then her feet are blood soaked and broken .A witch always has her feet twisted backwards according to Indian myths.
Bulbul was a little girl running around until she was married of to a man old enough to be her father. We see her as a little child dressed in a saree and jewelry prancing around but we know there is a much more menacing aspect when she is called by the Bade Thakur in the night to perform her wifely duties.The huge haveli where they live is beautiful and a witness to the sinister acts in the name of tradition.
Bulbul, as the Badi Thakurain rises above the rapes, the heartbreaks, the beatings and the insidious whispers of her sister in law. A girl scared of everyone is now a woman in control and confident always in her finery. She hides her vulnerabilities in a lovely laugh and a soft voice. After all she is still the badi bahu of the haveli and her word is respected and revered from the outside. She enjoys the privileges of an upper-caste household while being stifled by the restrictions in her own domestic space. When she dies as result of a rape, her body is possessed by a spirit that seeks to liberate women like Bulbul, who are struggling under the patriarchy of Bengali Brahmin society.
The witch is killing men but her list is of men who are a blot on society: pedophiles, men who beat up their wives.
Rahul Bose in a double role is fabulous as someone not in control; mad but evil, and the other in domination seeped in patriarchy and as impulsive as his mentally ill brother.
Tripti Dimri is an actress who is a delight to watch. She does full justice to her role as Bulbul, embodying both the sweetness of a young wife and her transition into the mistress of the house.
Image Courtesy: Still from the movie published in The New Indian Express
read more...
This post has published with none or minimal editorial intervention. Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
I wanted to scream with excitement that my daughter chose to write about her ambition and aspirations over everything else first. To me, this was one of those parenting 'win' moments.
My daughter turned eight years old in January, and among the various gifts she received from friends and family was an absolutely beautiful personal journal for self-growth. A few days ago, she was exploring the pages when she found a section for writing a letter to her future self. She found this intriguing and began jotting down her thoughts animatedly.
My curiosity piqued and she could sense it immediately. She assured me that she would show me the letter soon, and lo behold, she kept her word.
I glanced at her words, expecting to see a mention of her parents in the first sentence. But, to my utter delight, the first thing she had written about was her AMBITION. Yes, the caps here are intentional because I want to scream with excitement that my daughter chose to write about her ambition and aspirations over everything else first. To me, this was one of those parenting ‘win’ moments.
Uorfi Javed has been making waves through social media, and is often the target of trolls. So who and what exactly is this intriguing young woman?
Uorfi Javed (no relation to Javed Akhtar) is a name that crops up in my news feeds every now and again. It is usually because she got trolled for being in some or other ‘daring’ outfit and then posting those images on social media. If I were asked, I would not be able to name a single other reason why she is famous. I am told that she is an actor but I would have no frankly no clue about her body of work (pun wholly unintended).
So is Urfi Javed (or Uorfi Javed as she prefers) famous only for being famous? How does she impact the cause of feminism by permitting herself to be objectified, trolled, reviled?
Please enter your email address