Movie Review: Bulbbul

We just finished watching Bulbbul on Netflix and thought we'd share our thoughts here on the old blog.

Plot Summary: Set in a Bengal village in the period spanning from late 1800s to early 1900s, Bulbbul is a supernatural drama that revolves around the lives of six people living in a palatial zamindar house. The story starts with the return of the youngest brother- Satya- after finishing his Law studies in the UK. He finds that the whole house has changed- his elder brother (Indraneel) has left home, his widowed younger sister-in-law (Binodini) lives in an ashram for widows and his childhood companion cum elder sister-in-law (Bulbbul) is ruling the roost and is decidedly cold towards him. As more and more men in the village are murdered, there are whispers of a chudail (something between a witch and a she-demon), who is supposed to be responsible for these killings. Satya is determined to find and kill this chudail, a decision, which sets the story (and the backstory) in motion.

What We Liked: 

1. The premise of the movie was very intriguing! A supernatural drama set in rural Bengal in the late 18th- early 19th century is something that had us excited from the get go!

2. The look-and-feel of the movie is simply stunning! Everything from the set design to costumes to the ambience is just so stunning! The movie's look-and-feel works well to make the movie extremely atmospheric, all that red notwithstanding. There is an aura of fear and something unsettling, which creates the perfect backdrop for the story to unfold.

3. The movie's cast is very high calibre! All the performances are more than competent. Rahul Bose, in a double role, as Mahendra and Indraneel is very good. Tripti Dimri as the titular Bulbbul is extraordinary! Paoli Dam (as Binodini) and Parambrata Chattopadhaya as Dr. Sudip are also very good in the limited roles that they have.

4. The story is cleverly done, but fairly predictable. The trailer throws you off, actually. The trailer makes it seem like an out-and-out horror movie, which it is not. So, don't go into it expecting a spine-chilling horror movie; you will be disappointed! Instead, think of it as watching an intelligently written thriller and you'll perhaps come away enjoying it.

What Could've Been Better: 

1. The story gets the structure and dynamics of a bonedi/ zamindar family in the early 19th Century very very wrong. There are hardly any servants around, the family only seems to have five members and a very unwell important family member is left alone. These are just some things that the writer has gotten very, very wrong. A zamindar family such as the one shown in the film, usually, had a ton of extended family as well as dependents all living under the same roof. The makers have shown this family as a nuclear family- a concept that did not exist back in the day! Also, there would have been an army of servants, with each family member having their own retinue of servants! Our family in the 1950s-70s had more than 50 servants! My mother had her own maid right up until the day she got married! I wish the writer/ makers had done a little, basic research into how such families were structured and wouldn't have gotten it so wrong!

2. While the story is clever, it is also very, very predictable! We could see all the major events coming up way, way before they did! I wish they'd not made it so obvious!

TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE, VIOLENCE 

Rating: 3.5/5 

Should You Watch Bulbbul? Why not? It's only 1.5 hours long, very atmospheric, the story moves quite fast and is a movie that will stay with you long after it is over. Eminently watchable and full of great performances.