There are films that you watch to be entertained - films that you watch mindlessly, whose fictional
universes you can escape to with no demands to remain grounded in your reality. Bhonsle is not
that film. It is impossible to disentangle yourself from the characters on screen, or the situations
they find themselves in. While newspaper headlines talk about the Marathi language being made compulsory in all Indian schools, and Delhi struggles to recover from the stomach-churning communal violence of February, watching the petty game of politics and bigoted
hatred between the Maharashtrian and Bihari communities play out in the film, and
slowly escalate into something dark and twisted, just feels like an extension of our own
reality.


<h2>The film is loaded with symbolism, but never leans on them. Its aesthetic, pregnant with poignancy,
blends easily with the story. 

The fleshed-out characters and tumultuous contexts are complemented with perfect mise-en-scènes – it is evident that nothing in the frame is accidental. </h2>

A symbol that runs
through the film as a comparative thread to Bajpayee’s Bhonsle is that of Lord Ganesh, or
rather, his idols. The opening scene oscillates between close up shots of an idol of the god being
made and brought to life, and a resigned Bhonsle preparing to go home, leaving behind the only life
he’s ever known, after his last day at his job at the police station. As he wearily unbuttons his faded,
old uniform, a brand new silk cloth is draped over Ganpati’s torso, as he unpins his badge and
shoulder straps, a shiny, silver armband is put on the idol, as he takes off his police hat, a bedazzled
crown is placed on the idol’s head.



<h2>The interpretations can be infinite, but one thing is certain – the iconic, historic figure in Indian
and Maratha history, Shivaji Bhosale, might have valued and popularised the worship of Ganesha and the celebration of the Ganpati festival, but Bhonsle himself feels no desire to model his
ancestor. </h2>
Bhonsle refuses to prioritise religious or communal demands over his
humanity and kindness. He refuses to partake in hostile, discriminatory, and violent behaviour in the
name of his community’s God. Communal strife and violence in the name of religion doesn’t stop until
it has taken everything from the disembodied, dismembered body and soul, as is clear in the
film.

 

The number of dialogues Bajpayee has in the film is probably restricted to single digits – he is
silent, and more stagnant than stationary, for most of the film. His performance is, even then, one
that is bound to stand out and stay in your mind for a long time to come. His movements are weary
and languid, but his eyes are arrestingly expressive, and his moustache even more so. His facial
muscles strain, quiver and fall disappointedly, so that you wonder why films ever needed dialogues
to convey emotions.

 

Bhonsle is a film that feels as liberating at certain points as it is suffocating in others. The
cinematography is exquisite and the performances not only engaging, but memorable. It will make
you want to hug the screen, then promptly scream at it. Bhonsle is a film that you not only watch, but
experience – it’s only horrifying that the experience is one that we continue to live in even after we
exit the theatre.


 
Written by Sanjana Bhagwat

Bhonsle | Manoj Bajpayee | Review

Several comments rest within 'The Last Time I Saw The Moon', most important of them all being about identity. The narratorial exploration of the same ensures that notions of identity of the protagonist reach an overlap with that of the town he inhabits. The two entities are thus allowed a simultaneous progression. 

While one faces the imminent threat of urbanization and demolition of shops and houses in the name of change and widening of roads, the other is denied the most primary, basic marker of his identity, his name. Chandra, dismissed and maltreated by the entire town as the local lunatic, fights a battle as desperate as that of the beloved town itself where people are ready to protest against the road construction. And yet, they remain apathetic and indifferent to Chandra’s plight. 

 
The film invokes a calm, quiet, notable exploration of the complexities that afflict the circumstance. However, whether the town, as well as Chandra, will be overwhelmed by tumultuous waves or would they find a way to brave them, remains the question crucial to its core.

The Last Time I Saw The Moon | Short Film Nominee

The short film is an engaging interaction with the ideas of identity and its expression, but viewed through the innocence of childhood. Ahead of his thirteenth birthday, a Sikh boy has a very particular gift he desires this year. However, he is fully aware that it will only be frowned upon and never allowed within his community. The rest of the narrative is a wonderful conversation with these intentions and all endeavours to realise them as reality. Without explicitly spelling out its premise, the film becomes an endearing portrayal of a child approaching and critiquing societal constructs. The camerawork is skilled, while not entirely seamless. The several elements of the story meld into each other to provide an end product that is heartwarming, despite the shock it invokes in the characters directly in contact with the situation at hand.

Mast Qalandar | Short Film Nominee

One of the most important goals of art is to bring reformative change, to eventually make this world a better place. Its aim is to strive for an inclusive society where people of all genders and sexual orientations are allowed to live freely and without fear. The documentary film is an important step in the same direction. 

It offers not only a lucid and comprehensive, but also poignant and sincere account of a transgender boy's struggle to come to terms with his identity. Born as Ritika, but now having chosen an existence for himself as Ritwik, the protagonist shares with the viewer his mental health struggles, past failures in romance and society's inability to make him feel comfortable with his decisions even after all these years. What began as a sense of deep discomfort in his clothes and skin as a child, and briefly also came to be viewed as a mental illness by his parents, has now become a powerful assertion of an identity in a world that is obsessed with forcing everything into its own rigid categories. The overarching message of the narrative remains loud and clear - one about every person's right to subscribe to the gender they want to and are most comfortable with. In the process, doing its bit to further the cause, Tamas offers a beautiful and intelligent portrayal of an issue which requires more conversation and dialogue around it in the mainstream.

Tamas: From Ritika to Ritwik | Short Film of the Day

The title presents to you the motif that would become intrinsic to the film's core. Essentially, the story is of Maloti, a woman who works as a domestic help. The character is brought to life by a notable performance that becomes one of the most standout aspects of the film. 

Alongside the development of the plot are chants and rhymes about goddess Durga whose presence has been a force to reckon with in the household Maloti works in. A life of cruelty and domestic abuse is presented to the viewer with a parallel narrative of a couple that suggests other female presences and their location in society. Tying it all together, however, amidst tears and tragedy is an unmissable act of taking a selfie, one that declares loud and clear the ideas of self and identity to the viewer, while also unpacking the title of the film.

Selfie | Short Film of the Day

A man is waiting at a metro platform, looking grim. The scene soon intercuts to a woman, smoking by herself until someone is at the door. Experimental elements combine with thrill to present a heated-up scene between the man and the woman. Questions of fidelity are raised leading to disconcerting developments that eventually reveal a crucial comment. The storytelling is marked by earnestness which is further reflected in the visual progression. The performances are notable, supporting the endeavor all the way. The screenplay, heavy on symbolism, carries within it a very relevant social message, one that is echoed in the title of the film, referring to the female aspect of a man's psychology. As this meaning is realized, the end result comes into its own.

Anima | Short Film Nominee

The short film is a calm engagement with a sense of self, and the consequent identity that comes to be associated with it. It chooses a sombre background to match the mood and takes the viewer into the life of its protagonist. His attempts to truly understand himself vis-a-vis his relationship with the internet becomes the predominant part of the plot. Struggling to still make sense of relationships, be it with family and friends, he sometimes seeks solitude, sometimes the company of a friend, and sometimes, simply to lose himself as a tiny speck of a bigger picture. The film exhibits potential, and a script and idea that can be interacted with in a deeper manner in the future projects of the team. Pursuit of Escapes serves only as a premise of an idea, demanding a more adept analysis of its thematic concerns.

Pursuit of Escapes | Short Film Nominee

The film is not for the inattentive viewer for it demands every ounce of your attention and thought in its brief duration to truly comprehend the progression of its events. The narrative opens with visuals of a visibly disturbed protagonist who seems to be battling an internal dilemma. Using hand-held and dimly-lit shots, the plot further establishes itself, roping in thematic concerns that include violence, religion and society's relationship with them - be it in the form of the constant deluge of news headlines or the perpetrators of these acts. While the film traverses the territory of the abstract to explore the several issues intrinsic to the plot, it also portrays a more personal concern - the ideas of identity and self. In a world that is constantly ravaged by all forms of violence, how will the protagonist truly locate himself?

Most Viewed

Genres

Awards

Follow Us

Quick Links