HER SCANNER i MD DARKLY

BULBBULWAS A START, BUT WITH QALA, TA DUTT PUSHES THE ENVELOPE OF FEMALE AGENCY FURTHER

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IN Anvita Dutt’s second Netflix film, pursuing art is as much release as it is tragedy. With Qala, the writerdirector-lyricist picks up where she left off. Like in Bulbbul 2020), the portraits she draws of her women are fascinating. Trapped in fabled settings, they are exploited by patriarchy, but still have the will to pursue their dream. I don’t do it deliberately. It so happens that the slightly surreal, otherworldly setting pops up when I am writing. It is my default setting,” says Dutt. I am trying to find the best possible way to communicate what I am feeling and sometimes it is best done through magic realism.” Played by Tripti Dimri, the titular character, Qala, is an enthusiastic heir to her family’s rich musical legacy. Sadly, she struggles to win the support of her mother Swastika Mukherjee). Though the key narrative device here is that of a fractured mother-daughter bond, the film highlights the emotional perils of pursuing excelle