Bulbbul Movie Review
The first thing I will say about Bulbbul is that it did not exactly strike fear into my heart; what I felt was more along the lines of horror, disgust, pain, anger and sadness (not at the movie! At the things that happened in the movie!). The story is really about Bulbbul, and her life. The non-linear story line cleverly builds suspense throughout the movie; we first see Bulbbul as an innocent and carefree child, and then flash forward to her as a cool and steely woman. What happened in between is the question that eats at you throughout.
To give credit where it’s due, Anushka Sharma deserves applause for producing Bulbbul AND not wrestling herself into the lead role. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Anushka Sharma, but the right casting is so important for a delicate film like this. Anushka Sharma is huge star in her own right, but Tripti Dimri is amazing as both the adult and teenage Bulbbul. She basically carries this movie on her back, and does it gracefully. Gangly and wide-eyed, she brings the kind and naive teenage Bulbbul to life. Dressed in elaborate finery (and drawing a striking similarity to Naomi Scott in Aladdin), she shines as the thakurani of the house five years later.
The shots in this film are absolutely beautiful, and you can almost forgive the camera for lingering on every scene. However, I do feel that the movie could have benefited from slightly tighter editing; there were just a few too many shots where nothing was really happening. At 90ish minutes, though, it is running on the shorter side for Hindi movies.
On the other hand, the vfx went a little overboard, with the oppressive red and orange forests making everything seem overly fairytale-ish. It just soured the mood a bit, especially compared to the beautiful shots of Bulbbul lounging in front of her haveli. For a movie rooted in reality, the overly edited forests and glaringly fake red moons made it difficult to connect to the characters’ motives. Regular dark forests are really creepy too!
The best part of this movie, by far, is the way it details the microaggressions that Bulbbul is subjected to throughout her life. Although we see the big crimes clearly, the story does not leave out the small jabs either. Her so-called allies are quick to turn on her when they feel that she is slipping out of their control. Even Satya is unable to empathize with Bulbbul until it is far too late. And even then, we do not know if it is empathy or sympathy. This, to me, was the most clever part of the story. Often, we see that one man who is “on her side.” Here, we see the truth: even he is not free from the norms of the time and falls into many of the same traps.
Though the story provided enough suspense to keep me hooked, the supernatural/chudail angle felt over hyped since we do not really focus on it nearly as much as we do on the life of Bulbbul. This movie could much better be slated as a vigilante origin story rather than a horror movie. Still, I understand the appeal of labeling it as a common genre that would attract the most viewers, and I can’t say I’m upset about it. (To clarify, this movie had hardly any jump scares or things going bump in the night. It was still pretty scary.)
Overall, Bulbbul falls a little short on the supernatural horror element and is let down by a slightly underwhelming climax and ending. Still, it is a beautiful and clever movie that will make you fall in love with Bulbbul, mourn for the pure soul she once was, and look up to the one she becomes.
To give credit where it’s due, Anushka Sharma deserves applause for producing Bulbbul AND not wrestling herself into the lead role. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Anushka Sharma, but the right casting is so important for a delicate film like this. Anushka Sharma is huge star in her own right, but Tripti Dimri is amazing as both the adult and teenage Bulbbul. She basically carries this movie on her back, and does it gracefully. Gangly and wide-eyed, she brings the kind and naive teenage Bulbbul to life. Dressed in elaborate finery (and drawing a striking similarity to Naomi Scott in Aladdin), she shines as the thakurani of the house five years later.
The shots in this film are absolutely beautiful, and you can almost forgive the camera for lingering on every scene. However, I do feel that the movie could have benefited from slightly tighter editing; there were just a few too many shots where nothing was really happening. At 90ish minutes, though, it is running on the shorter side for Hindi movies.
On the other hand, the vfx went a little overboard, with the oppressive red and orange forests making everything seem overly fairytale-ish. It just soured the mood a bit, especially compared to the beautiful shots of Bulbbul lounging in front of her haveli. For a movie rooted in reality, the overly edited forests and glaringly fake red moons made it difficult to connect to the characters’ motives. Regular dark forests are really creepy too!
The best part of this movie, by far, is the way it details the microaggressions that Bulbbul is subjected to throughout her life. Although we see the big crimes clearly, the story does not leave out the small jabs either. Her so-called allies are quick to turn on her when they feel that she is slipping out of their control. Even Satya is unable to empathize with Bulbbul until it is far too late. And even then, we do not know if it is empathy or sympathy. This, to me, was the most clever part of the story. Often, we see that one man who is “on her side.” Here, we see the truth: even he is not free from the norms of the time and falls into many of the same traps.
Though the story provided enough suspense to keep me hooked, the supernatural/chudail angle felt over hyped since we do not really focus on it nearly as much as we do on the life of Bulbbul. This movie could much better be slated as a vigilante origin story rather than a horror movie. Still, I understand the appeal of labeling it as a common genre that would attract the most viewers, and I can’t say I’m upset about it. (To clarify, this movie had hardly any jump scares or things going bump in the night. It was still pretty scary.)
Overall, Bulbbul falls a little short on the supernatural horror element and is let down by a slightly underwhelming climax and ending. Still, it is a beautiful and clever movie that will make you fall in love with Bulbbul, mourn for the pure soul she once was, and look up to the one she becomes.
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