If you want to marry into royalty, you must pay a royal price. These chilling words – spoken by an older sister-in-law to the young lead character in Bulbbul just after she is unspeakably brutalised – define the horror of Indian patriarchal society more than its pet storytelling motif of the ‘chudail’ (witch) ever could. In the new film Bulbbul on Netflix, director Anvita Dutt takes on this folklore of the female demon but gives a feminist twist.
After a long career as dialogue writer, screenplay writer, story writer and lyricist in peppy mainstream Bollywood romances, Anvita’s directorial debut goes headlong into dark subjects – child marriage, rape, domestic violence and sex slavery. “As a commissioned writer, you write to the director’s brief and try to deliver to their vision. But when I decided to direct my own film, I worked on a genre of my own choice – on the kind of story that I wanted to tell – basically a fantastical tale talking about real pain,” she explains.
Starring Tripti Dimri, Rahul Bose and Paoli Dam, Anvita says she had always planned the film for an OTT release. Having a producer and platform that allowed complete freedom to just do justice to the film was an advantage, she admits.
“Netflix freed me in the sense that they completely supported my vision,” says Anvita, who is inspired by filmmakers Satyajit Ray, Kurosawa and Bong Joon-ho, and lists Abhimaan, Minority Report and Pulp Fiction among her favourite films.
This story is from the August 2020 edition of eShe.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2020 edition of eShe.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
SORAYA CHEMALY: RIGHTS AND RAGE
Washington DC-based author and feminist activist Soraya Chemaly believes women’s anger can be a powerful force for social justice
A MOM'S LIFE
Photographer Debalina Bhatta’s photo feature following her mother’s daily routine is an ode to mothers everywhere
WOMEN FIRST
Michigan-based artist and entrepreneur Svitlana Martynjuk is determined to facilitate fair representation of women in the global art scene
WORKPLACE WELLNESS
Management consultant Seema Rekha on why employee mental health is vital for company growth and why women make better leaders
The Joy Of Living
Slovakian transformational guide and web show host Slavomira Harcegova is driving across Europe in search of inspirational stories
AN ALTERNATIVE MYTHOLOGY
Filmmaker and bestselling author Trisha Das’s novels present a comical, feminist take on the Mahabharata
A NEW LEASH ON LIFE
A young girl suffers brain injury; her mother determines to bring her daughter back to life through love, care, surgery and Bharatanatyam
NADIA SAMDANI A LEGACY OF ART
Dhaka-based art curator and philanthropist Nadia Samdani is on a determined mission to put Bangladeshi artists on the global art map
Seeing & Believing
When an eye problem leads to an opening of the eyes
WHAT THE ART REVEALS
Mona Rai’s unconventional abstract artworks are as mesmerising for viewer as for the artist herself, revealing secrets at every step of the pro