Bulbbul Review: A Powerful Story Narrated in a Visually Striking Way!

One of the many things that Bulbbul tries to showcase within its 94-minute runtime is the male dominance and physical abuse towards women, which is still a looming poison polluting our society since it’s existence. Blending in a comprehensive selection of concepts from folklore to womanism and social injustice, the new Netflix Original produced by Anushka Sharma and Karnesh Ssharma stars Tripti Dimri and Avinash Tiwary in the lead roles with Paoli Dam and Rahul Bose as the supporting cast.

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The narrative of Bulbbul, set between the years 1881 and 1902, details the journey of Bulbbul (Tripti Dimri), who gets married to a rich middle-aged, upper-class guy at a very young age. After settling down at her in-law’s estate, and developing a profound affection towards her brother-in-law, situations turn pretty chaotic when an urban legend ravages the entire village with a handful of ruthless murders. The remainder of the movie displays the villagers attempting to chase off the witch, who only scours her selective prey after dark.

Comparing to the multitude of positives, the storyline of Bulbbul stands out the most primarily because of the subplots it is able to present. From the very beginning till the end, every dialogue, shot and scene proposed something to the overall story and carried significance to the subject it is trying to showcase. The myriad of themes from masking bigotries as silly secrets to sexual violence and feminism structured the plot exceptionally well as the writer and director Anvita Dutt characterized these notions by brilliantly written and visually rich scenes.

Adding to the story, the well-written screenplay of Bulbbul also played its part in elevating the overall quality. The fast, one-hour-thirty-four minute runtime helped the narrative to commence, establish, and conclude at the right time, allowing no obstacles to sneak in and damage the entire film. On the other side, Anvita Dutt’s also made sure that her product is distinct in every single frame. Thanks to the Red Chillies VFX team, the cinematic presentation with the red, orange, and the gloomy colorants resonating the character’s feelings and delinquencies.

And on the same level as the visuals, the production design by Meenal Agarwal is top-notch and added a sheer royal look to the film. Set in a British occupied Bengal around the late 1800s, and because the story revolves around an affluent family, everything from the mahals, interiors, to the chariots and costumes are visually striking. And at the same time, the dense forest, and the moldy exteriors outside the fort contributed to the dark side of the narrative. Also, Amit Trivedi’s orchestral background score added that much-needed tension, especially during the climax.

Finally, the powerful performances from the whole cast once again lay the foundation for the movie to excel at a different level. Tripti Dimri plays the prima donna of the entire film and essays her role with authority. The way she carried herself in those heavy costumes—rich in form, grandeur, and added jewelry is stunning to witness as she adapted to the sincerity, strive, cockiness, and the intensity of her character flawlessly. Avinash Tiwary as the male protagonist is a welcome surprise and presented the manly aura of an educated, high-society guy decently. Rahul Bose also shines bright in a dual role with different peculiarities and mentalities and manages to distinguish the characters splendidly.

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Overall, Netflix’s Bulbbul took me by surprise, mainly because I did not expect the storyline to steer in a completely different direction. Narrating an age-old story of prominent folklore, and mixing it up fantastically with multiple other subplots made this film captivating to watch and revisit at the same time. Furthermore, the astonishing visuals, production design, and the incredible performances from the cast made the experience even better as this is, undoubtedly, the best original Indian film Netflix ever produced to date. Watch ‘Bulbbul’ on Netflix here.

Rating – 3.5/5 | Grade – B+

Images via Netflix