THE CRIMSON PALETTE OF SILENCED PATRIARCHY (THE STORY OF BULBBUL)
Although unclaimed, patriarchy originates from the very roots of history. History is witness to the fact that women have been treated like props, objects, animals and everything but humans or humanly. Women of the history have fought against this very social injustice and have come a long way till yet. No wonder that the women of the past have brimmed with brawn and robust, yet the very shackles of patriarchy remain unhinged owing to their firm roots that dates back to the past.
Patriarchal depiction has not just been portrayed in literary texts and forms of literature like drama, theatre and opera. The lamentful songs of patriarchy have been sung via movies, music and poems. In 1962, Abrar Alvi showed the world the very horrific existence of patriarchy during the post-renaissance India in his ‘Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam’ by touring us through the crumbling havelis whose cumbersome walls carried the weight of the desires of aloof women who were stifled by their unfaithful, feudal and aristocratic husbands. The mansions contained women who stroke unexplainable relationships with unexpected men with uncertain conclusions.
Such is the story of Anvita Dutta’s ‘Bulbbul’. 5-year-old Bulbbul is married off to a much older aristocratic Indranil, and finds instant solace in her new friend Satya, her devar of the same age, pondering life is all about fun and games. As time starts to fly, the horrendous secrets of the mansion begin to unravel themselves. Bulbbul’s budding attachment with Satya, as they start to come of age, begins to bloom but the blossom does not last long enough as Satya moves out. With a promise to return back soon, Bulbbul starts to sustain herself in the huge haveli with Satya’s promises. Meanwhile, Binodini does not miss any opportunity of filling her Bado Thakur’s ears with the teeny stories of Bulbbul and Satya. The chain of events land Bulbbul in a situation where her enigmatic smile starts to haunt Satya as he returns back to the village after years. What follows is a charismatic chain of events that turns darker and darker with every frame.
PATRIARCHAL RESONANCE
Resonating with absolute patriarchal dominance, ‘Bulbbul’ shows to the world the naked truth, the harrowing effects of patriarchy that has been prevailing in the country post-independence. Influenced by Binodini’s intoxicated words, Indranil mutilates poor Bulbbul’s feet with an iron rod in a fit of rage. The scene sends shivers down ones spine while bringing forth the bare truth of the world how married women were treated as personal properties of their respective husbands. Indranil asks her rhetorically whether anything else is personal to a woman other than her husband to which Bulbbul replies, “Sharm (shame), Maryada (propriety), sahi (right), galat (wrong),” the principle governors of a woman’s life. The affirmative dialogue puts subtle yet bright light on the fact that a man is entitled to the opinion that a woman is owned by a man and is not supposed to be obligated to none but her husband.
Bulbbul strikes one down with the long chains of patriarchal dominance in the society which results in invocation of rebellions and protests. Women of ‘Bulbbul’ establish the core idea of women suffrage in the post renaissance era of the nation. To maintain the idea of cinematically alluring elements, luring background music has been added. The crimson color palette of the movie establishes the idea of overwhelming romance, the gazes filled with love, the bloodshed, the lingering pain in Bulbbul’s weep when she says “Kahani poori kaise hogi,” towards the climax, assert the principal color of these elements to be that of red.
WOMEN OF BULBBUL
The women of ‘Bulbbul’ imply the very idea of Rabindranath Tagore’s Chokher Bali. Not just the names, Mahendra and Binodini give life to the idea, but also the imprecise relationship between the child bride and her young brother-in-law. On one hand, the ‘Badi Bahu’ reference trips us down the memory lane of Abrar Alvi’s iconic ‘Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam’. On the other hand, Satyajit Ray’s ‘Charulata’ parallels the idea of a girl trapped in the house of domesticity, who is portrayed a different world through a visitor and/or an interloper.
Women of ‘Bulbbul’ have undergone extensive sufferings throughout their lives. While lying on the bed with mutilated legs, a helpless Bulbbul is raped by her husband’s mentally challenged brother, Mahendra. Mahendra not only takes advantage of her helplessness but also while attaining the peak point of arousal, accidentally chokes her. What evokes life in Bulbbul is a form of blessing from Maa Kali and to avenge her suffrage, Bulbbul takes form of the much-gossiped ghastly legend of the village, the ‘Chudail’ to avenge men who subjected women to sufferings. The metaphorical idea of depicting enraged women as haunted figures originated in the history and is being used in the present generations as an abusive slur.
POETIC DISPLAY OF AGONY
Despite being filled with the elements of gothic and horror, Bulbbul does not eschew portraying the idea of extreme violence or violation of conventional family norms. The synchronized depiction of dolls, broken bones, tripping down the stair case, constant acts of trivializing and vilifying- all these elements hint at the innate acts of oppression and their aftermath, stacking up and attaining their peak level and erupting out like hot lava. Binodini’s bold yet nerve wrecking monologue “badi haveli ke bade raaz” impregnates the idea that women of such huge mansions are showered with silk and jewels to keep their mouth shut and volumes down about the ‘big’ secrets.
The poignant and piteous portray of pain is not as poetic as it seems like. A young girl of 5 being married off to a much older companion with the fake assurances of life’s simplest and most naive pleasures beholds the flag of patriarchal dominance in the post-independence era which symbolizes the idea that girls were bore to feed the idea of marriage and were bartered for materialistic wealth and fame. These are the little stances of patriarchal chauvinism that one needs to grasp onto.
UNEXPLAINED RELATIONSHIPS
There is beauty in the way undefined and unexplainable relationships form between the characters of the movie. These formulated relationships baffles us while strangely intriguing us at the same time. Dr. Sudip who develops a soft spot for the “Badi Thakuraeen” is reciprocated with likewise feelings but it does not give us much idea about the kind of relationship they share. The uncanny likeliness of Binodini for the “Bado Thakur” is peculiar yet fascinating for it acts like one of the factors contributing to the cliffhanger. Satya’s jealousness towards the bond of Dr. Sudip and Bulbbul provokes the idea that the character’s young love has blossomed into its ripening phase.
What adds to the beauty of the movie are the boundaries, the obliqued talks, the metaphorical and poetic conversations, the eternal cries of agony in the corners, the suppressed wailings and of course, the very natural effects of patriarchy.