Bulbbul: Analysing the males of a powerful feminist tale

Anushka Sharma produced Bulbbul is a fiercely feminist tale which talks about subjugation of women is a male-dominated society. The Anvita Dutt film is all about the titular character, portrayed beautifully by Tripti Dimri, while receiving a good amount of competition from Paoli Dam who plays Bulbbul’s sister-in-law. The story is that of revenge, of self-esteem. The film, while focusing on the nuances and complexities within the female characters, draws attention to its male characters as well.

Don’t read ahead if you have not watched the film yet!

Right at the beginning, we are introduced to three men of the family which Bulbbul gets married into. Mahendra and Indranil are twins, brilliantly portrayed by Rahul Bose. Avinash Tiwary plays the role of Satya, the youngest of the trio. The three brothers are representatives of three different kinds of evil that lurk within our society since times unknown.

Indranil, lord of the manor and Bulbbul’s husband embodies jealousy, suspiciousness and the subsequent abuse. His nature comes out even though he tries to present himself in the most polished manner possible. Indranil’s failure of controlling or making Bulbbul his own makes him show his true colour when he physically tortures his wife and almost kills her. Indranil is a representative of physical abuse. 

Mahendra is differently abled, yes, but the moment he calls Bulbbul “guriya” we know there is something devilish about him. As the film proceeds, we become surer of his intentions despite the amount of screen time Mahendra gets. And our fears are confirmed when he finally gets to fulfill his desire of ravishing Bulbbul on a fateful night. Mahendra embodies sexual abuse.

Satya’s character is somewhat subtle, and yet there is a hint of evil in him. He is the typical educated male, who refuses to let the females of his house do as they wish. He is a safe haven to Bulbbul until he learns about her friend, ‘daktarbabu’, played by Parambrata Chattopadhyay. He scoffs at Bulbbul for changing herself, overlooking the abuse she went to. Satya is a participant of the age-old systemic patriarchy inflicted upon women.

Parambrata Chattopadhyay comes as a breath of fresh air in this toxic atmosphere. He accepts Bulbbul for what she is, he accepts that she cannot love him back. And this is what makes him different, this is what makes him safe. That probably keeps him sane, too.

The film, produced by Anushka Sharma’s Clean Slate Films, premiered on Netflix in June. This is her second production for an Over the Top platform.