Bulbbul Analysis

Bulbbul (2020)

Written & Directed by: Anvita Dutt
Produced by: Anushka Sharma and Karnesh Sharma
Streaming on Netflix.

This film is another classic example of how a different setting can make a film unique - even if it's a 'not-so-original' story. This story has been done to death, a woman being raped/killed who turns into a ghost and takes revenge and I expected the story right after the first killing. I think revenge stories, have to be dealt very carefully - because of the number of revenge stories we have seen - predictability is not an issue, but the willingness of the audience to be engaged with the film is important. But this film being set in 1880's Bengal presidency in an authentic and expressionist way makes it unique, along with the crimes against women, and patriarchy as central thematic elements. The setting helps them explore them even better, because of the normalcy of things like child marriage in that era. 

The music, the colors and the whole craft of the film become a part of the world of the film. The expressionist visuals of the world filled with red - the imagery is so strong and surreal. If I'm not wrong, the entire outdoor locations have to be lit red and this is not at all easy - because the imagery in the film is not something that can be created through color grading alone. We rarely see such imagery in cinema, that is immediately recognizable. Apparently, Raja Ravi Verma and Caravaggio's art works were some of the inspirations for the look of the film. Horror done without jump scares, is appreciated because even a friend can pull off a jump scare through a prank - but what this film does, when we see a child getting married to a fully grown man - that's more horrific than a jump scare, because we know that it still happens.