Thanks to Anushka Sharma’s experimentation, Anvita Dutt’s creative visualization, Tripti Dimri’s captivating acting and some marvellous cinematography by Siddharth Diwan, we finally get to see a reinvented ‘Chudail’ with a purpose beyond just gory mindless killings.

We have to give it to Anushka Sharma – she and her bother Karnesh Sharma are trying their best to produce some different content in the horror genre. They gave us Phillauri, Pari (it was good, come on!) and now ‘Bulbbul’, a first of a kind movie that has managed to show us how mysteriously captivating our homegrown evil entity, ‘Chudail’, can look like.

So finally, we can boast before Hollywood fanatics – you got ghouls, death eaters, boogey man and their likes, and we got the ‘Chudail’. And guess what? Ours is the most beautiful kind of evil you could think of.

Anushka’s girl with the inverted legs can give the girls with the fish tails and sharp fangs, a run for their money!

No matter what the critics say or review, no one can deny the fact that for the first time in Indian film history, we have been able to see a creative portrayal of an Indian evil entity that we have all grown up hearing about, in Indian folklore and bedtime stories.

Nobody has shown us the ‘Chudail’ like Bulbbul does in a plot that revolves around child marriage, a long existent patriarchal society, self or women-empowerment, revenge and justice. The ’Chudail’ in Bulbbul is portrayed from different angels that even go on to compare her with the virtues of Durga and Kaali, fighting injustice in an extreme manner. 

Ansuhka’s ‘Chudail’ is a Vigilante Every Woman Needs!

Bulbbul Film Synopsis/Plot Summary

Set in pre-independence Bengal Presidency, 1881, Bulbbul tells the story of a 5-yearold free spirited girl Bulbbul (Tripti Dimri), who is married off to rich man, Indranil (Rahul Bose) almost her father’s age or even more. She bonds closely with Satya (Avinash Tiwary), the youngest brother of her husband, and the one she thinks she’s being married to. Indranil has a twin brother called Mahendra, who’s mentally challenged but married to Binodini (Paoli Dam). Bulbbul and Satya strike a chord and become good friends with Satya narrating her a story about a ‘Chudail’ who used to wander around in the jungle flying from tree to tree. A story that captivates little Bulbbul beyond imagination.

The story goes back and forth in time explaining how Bulbbul and Satya had drawn close as they grew up together in a plutonic kind of way, how Binodini had filled up Indranil’s mind with doubt and insecurity concerning his wife and bother, and how Satya was sent away to London for further studies only to keep him away from Bulbbul.

It further shows how Indranil gives in to his inner demons and vents out his anger on Bulbbul almost crippling her and had then left the village forever. But the predicament of Bulbbul doesn’t end there and she gets brutally raped by Mahendra and dies after the assault, only to come back to life as a completely changed person.

Back in present times Satya is intrigued by his sister in law’s changed personality, that of a confident an assertive being. He is also very much concerned by her closeness to her doctor Sudip (Parambrata Chattopadhyay).

Adding suspense and thrill to the story are the mysterious killings of men in the village by a ‘Chudail’ or a witch, with turned legs. Satya gets busy finding the killer, who he thinks, is a man.

Satya’s growing concern for his sister in law and his anger and suspicion on Sudip for the killings bring the movie to a subtle climax, one filled with an overwhelming sense of realization and remorse.

What’s different in Bulbbul

Well, the most distinct feature of Bulbbul is the portrayal of a ‘Chudail’, in a never seen before manner. Unlike what we, as Indians, have grown up hearing about the beautiful evil woman who goes around killing people, especially men, Bulbbul shows us a beautiful, mysterious, justice seeking entity that doesn’t kill just for fun.

You will be able to relate the story to the Radha-Krishna love saga, the evil-destroying anger of Kali Mata and the suppression of women since mythological era and to some extent, the dark era of witch hunting (in Europe).  

Apart from the fresh plot, the cinematography by Siddharth Diwan, stands out in every sense and manages to mesmerize the audience by the visuals alone, at times.

Bulbbul reinvents the ‘Chudail’ just like how Hollywood reinvented the character of ‘Maleficent’!

(Now, we can expect some cheap rip-offs of Bulbbul coming soon).        

Though Bulbbul is not a spooky horror movie, it is the kind of movie that will engage you for many reasons, and also bring a new realization that evil too can have a purpose.

Best acting in Bulbbul:

Well, while Rahul Bose, Avinash Tiwary, Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Paoli Dam play their parts well enough, Tripti Dimri does a good job at portraying a character who is aware and guilty of everything that transpires in the main plot concerning the killings happening around.

She is self-occupied, constantly in some sort of mental struggle, keeps giggling and smiling for reasons known to her and at the mention of the predicament of the men around her.

We don’t know if she acted that way or it comes naturally to her as we did not see her other movies – Poster Boys and Laila Majnu.

To sum it up, Tripti was born to play the role!

Best Dialogue/s in Bulbbul:

There’s one when Bulbbul’s sister-in-law slowly whispers to her ‘Badi Haveliyon mein bade raaz hote hai’ and that lingers in your mind throughout the movie and even after that.

Best Scene/s in Bulbbul:

Visually, the scene in the beginning of the movie attempting to establish the character of a ‘Chudail’ is one of the best scenes. It is visually so good that it has also been used in the official trailer of Bulbbul.  In fact, that was the scene that actually made us watch the movie!

The climax scene, just before the credits roll up, is the best scene in the movie.

Also, the scene where the ‘Chudail’ is shown for the first time swinging from tree to tree, can pass for one of the best scenes too.

Adult scenes / suggestive language in Bulbbul:

Well, there is one rape scene in the movie which is a bit graphic and brutal in a way.

Expletives, bad language (foul mouthed actors), graphic content in Bulbbul:

Though there are no expletives except for one or two M….F….rs… here and there, some killing scenes and the rape scene can be a bit too graphic for some.

Bulbbul, one line review: What you can take home:

Well, if nothing else, then you will definitely take home an improved image of a ‘Chudail’ and maybe even fall in love with her.

Should you watch Bulbbul

Don’t miss the movie for anything. It is worth your time and money. Some of you would still not like it for being a slow and predictable script, but you will definitely like the way the age old ‘Chudail’ has been reinvented to give her a new sense of purpose.

Where to watch Bulbbul online:

Watch Bulbbul online on Netflix

Bulbbul: Things to look out for

Without giving spoilers, watch for the climax scene in the movie and you will know what to lookout for.

Stop Piracy, Watch Movies in Theatres and on Genuine Streaming Platforms – Unless, the movie looks like a complete waste of your money and time!

Gulabo Sitabo is more of a grownups’ version of an age-old moral story which tells about the vices of two people fighting, leading to another’s gains

• Movie Name: Gulabo Sitabo
• Written by Juhi Chaturvedi, Director by Shoojit Sircar and Produced by Ronnie Lahiri & Sheel Kumar
• Cast of Gulabo Sitabo: Amitabh Bachhan, Aysushmann Khurrana, Vijay Raaz, Brijendra Kala, Farrukh Jafar and Srishti Shrivastava
• Date of Release/Streaming: 12th June, 2020
• Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video

For Full Cast and Crew click here Imdb

Gulabo Sitabo short Plot Summary / Film Synopsis

A landlord, Mirza (Amitabh Bachchan) and his tenant, Baankey Rastogi (Ayushmann Khurrana), are always squabbling for one thing or another in their old and dilapidated house, Fatima Mahal, owned by Mirza’s old and sickly wife, Fatima Begum (Farrukh Jafar), which also houses other tenants. Their daily squabbles grow into an unsolved and ever worsening conflict where Mirza desperately seeks to evict Baankey, whose family has been living in the house since generations, and who doesn’t pay the already paltry amount of monthly rent on time. 

One fateful event leads to heightened enmity between the two and their quest to defeat one another draws in the attention of some opportunists Gyanesh Shukla (Vijay Raaz), from the archaeological department, who plans to get the property sealed for being an archeological site, and Christopher Clarke (Brijendra Kala), an advocate, who wishes to encash the commercial value of the plot on which the property stands.

What follows next is a display of ego, anger, greed and indifference that blinds the two main characters of the movie, Mirza and Baankey, who are caught unawares when the surprising and unexpected climax unfolds.

What’s different about the movie Gulabo Sitabo

The first and maybe the only thing that comes to our mind when we think about Gulabo Sitabo is the age old story of ‘Two Cats and a Monkey’, that forms the basis of the plot in a Lucknowi or Lakhnavi style (aaaaaa…. how do we even spell it?).

So, you can say that the story tends to remind you of your moral story book from kindergarten and lingers in your mind for some time. And if by any chance you have ever found yourself in a similar position at some point of time in your life, then it will etches in deep.

The writer, Juhi Chaturvedi, did some good job, if not extraordinary.

The second different thing would be the makeup of Amitabh Bachhan which is flawlessly done by the makeup team, Lars Carlsson – special makeup consultant and Pia Cornelius – prosthetics make up designer. The makeup made it worth the watch aesthetically, and you would know what we mean if you counted the number of Indian movies where the make-up was one of the selling points (was Chappak one of it? Haven’t watched it yet – don’t like to watch sob stories (cloaked as inspiring movies) based on real life incidents just for vested commercial interests. Will have to watch it though for the sake of reviewing it).  

The third different thing would be the aesthetic beauty of Fatima Mahal that stands as a majestic reminder of it’s former glory.

Yes, so that wraps it up!

Best acting in Gulabo Sitabo

Farrukh Jafar has done justice to her role as Fatima Begum – she is the only character that resonates with Lucknow in the way she talks and behaves.

Best Dialogue/s in Gulabo Sitabo

There are no memorable dialogues in Glabo Sitabo but some may still pass as good ones, like when Fatima Begun sarcastically remarks “Arrey bulb na chori hui, nigodi jayjad chori ho gayi” (you are yelling as if it was not a bulb but your entire property) when Baankey’s light bulb gets stolen and he creates a scene.

Another dialogue would be one by Mirza that follows Fatima’s remark, where he says “Inki jayjad wali surat kahan” (he doesn’t have the looks of someone who can ever have a property).

Best Scene/s in Gulabo Sitabo

The climax scene can be considered as the best scene or rather the suspense revealing scene of Gulabo Sitabo. We won’t give spoilers in case you haven’t watched it yet as we believe that may be the only scene that most of you would like (unless of course you simply like watching Ayaushmann blabber).

There is one scene where Mirza asks a pani puri vendor to calculate the amount of money that his tenants owe him and when the vendor tells him the amount, he literally falls down to the ground in shock.

One scene in the starting of the movie, when Mirza is shown stealing a bulb, looked funny as it tried establishing his character, as he tries getting revenge on his unruly tenant.

Any adult scenes / suggestive language in Gulabo Sitabo

Well, there is one scene when Guddo, the eldest among Baankey’s sisters appears from behind a water tank in an isolated corner on the terrace of their house after making out with one of her boyfriends (she even explicitly mentions that guy to be the third one in her list of sexual partners). Some suggestive, yet not so vulgar words follow, explaining what was being done. She is even shown tying her pyjami or salwar during the conversation that follows.

There is another scene in the movie when the youngest of their sisters tells Baankey that he could take his girlfriend behind the water tank for a ride (ghumane – that’s what she says in Hindi) because that’s where her elder sister takes her boyfriend too.

In yet another scene, Guddo and Gyanesh are shown together as they are about to make out only to reveal that he gets a guilt kick and decides not to do so. In the same scene Guddo suggests that they can at least kiss but they end up not kissing each other too.

So you would want to skip these parts if watching with your kids.

Any expletives, bad language (foul mouthed actors), graphic content in Gulabo Sitabo

Gulabo Sitabo has a no amount of foul language or expletives in the script. The only thing that would come close to being offensive for some is the tone and language of Baankey who is the opposite of how people in Lucknow normally speak (that was one technical disappointment in the movie as reviewed by many). The way he addresses people in everyday life is not the kind of approach you would like in a person.      

Should you watch Gulabo Sitabo?

Well, firstly, Gulabo Sitabo is not a bad movie at all, and as a matter of fact, it is indeed a freshly written story and so must be watched at all costs. Secondly, it tends to entertain in a subtle manner. It means that Gulabo Sitabo will entertain people in different ways. So it is more like a person to person thing and movie watchers will find something to praise or cheer for in the movie. So many will like it for the plot which is fresh like we said, somebody will like Amitabh’s makeup, Ayushman’s diehard fans will like it for him and Vijay Raaz’s and Brijendra Kala’s fans will watch it for them and will be pleased by the fact that they proved to be the pillar characters for the movie. 

Gulabo Sitabo: Some questions

1) Why were none of the actors nothing like the people of Lucknow in the way they talked, behaved or carried themselves around in their daily lives?

2) Why does Ayushman Khurana have to carry the Delhi lingo everywhere he goes(if you know what we mean)?

Gulabo Sitabo one line review: What you can take home:

Well, if nothing else then you will go home with a brief exposure to the many harms of greed, anger and ego – somebody else always benefits from such vices!

Where to watch Gulabo Sitabo online:

Gulabo Sitabo is an Amazon Prime Video presentation and so that’s where you got to see it.

Stop Piracy, Watch Movies in Theatres and on Genuine Streaming Platforms – Unless, the movie looks like a complete waste of your money and time!