Bulbbul

Set in Bengal Presidency during 1881, the film shows a 5-year old Bulbbul getting married to few decades older Indranil who has a younger twin, Mahendra (who is mentally challenged and married to Binodini), and the youngest Satya (who is closer to her age and whom she assumes is her husband). Twenty years later, we see Satya returning from London after studying law; Mahendra has died under mysterious circumstances and it has been five years since Indranil left home permanently. The young child bride, Bulbbul, is the thakurain of the ancestral mansion. Satya visits the widowed Binodini, who tells him some chudail killed her husband because she found reversed foot prints leading away from his body. More stories of men being killed in the village by a witch begin to capture the interest of Satya, enamored by the confident and self-assured Bulbbul who is shown to be an emotional wreck and docile when Satya was leaving for London.

In flashback throughout the movie, Bulbbul and Satya are always close being of the same age group. Mahendra is showing to be getting uncomfortably close to Bulbbul on many occasions and Indranil has to intervene. Sensing the bond between Bulbbul and Satya, and fueled by Binodini, Indranil feels jealous and sends his brother away for education abroad. Bulbbul burns a diary which documents her co-writing a story with Satya, but Indranil finds a few corners which escaped the fire and misinterprets its content, loses his temper and beats her feet to a pulp. The doctor is called and told that she fell from the stairs and he skeptically informs Indranil that it may take a year for Bulbbul to even heal from her wounds in her feet. Indranil then leaves and says he will keep sending money to the family; there is nothing left for him there. Bulbbul is still recovering from the pain and shock when Mahendra enters and rapes her, which leads to her death. But through divine intervention, she jolts back to life. Binodini comes and cleans away the evidence of her husbands rape, while recounting all that she was told when she was married off to Mahendra ("he may be mentally challenged, but you shall get the riches and luxuries"). The doctor enters and while putting her feet back into the slings notices fresh wounds on the inner parts of thigh. He tries to ask her about it, but Bulbbul asks him to do his job and leave.

At present she is informed on the anniversary of Mahendra's death, that Satya's coach driver killed his first wife. While this is happening, Satya has gone to arrest the doctor whom he suspects to be behind the murders. Satya tells the doctor he will believe he is innocent if he sees the chudail himself. While on the way to the city, the driver is killed and Satya sees the chudail for the first time through the mist. He fires shots at her and vanishes into the fog. The doctor tries to go after him but finds Bulbbul on a tree in her full in her raw, avenging avataar, and realises it has been her who had slain the vile men of the village. He also realises that her feet injuries had resulted in them being twisted backwards, a characteristic usually attributed to chudail. She has been shot and he wants to help her but Satya stops him and sets fire to the nearby trees in order to burn her down with the forest. The doctor tries tells him how she is not an evil spirit but in fact, a Goddess. He tries to tell Satya that it is his sister-in-law, but in anger Satya does not listen. He finally realizes who she is when the doctor worriedly calls out for Badi Bahu - the title of Bulbbul in the manor, when he is looking for her in the flames. He then realizes what has happened and breaks down. Bulbbul is shown closing her eyes to recount her life in flashes in her final moments.

One year later, Indranil returns to the abandoned haveli. Satya has left, stating that he once wished to be like his elder brother, and was then scared to be. But not any longer, as all three brothers have finally the same blood on their hands. While in the haveli, Indranil hears Bulbbul calling him in her signature tone. Her form appears to be rising from ashes, and gives a sinister smile, implying she finally takes her revenge on him.

• Tripti Dimri as Bulbbul
• Avinash Tiwary as Satya
• Paoli Dam as Binodini
• Rahul Bose as Mahendra / Indranil
• Parambrata Chattopadhyay as Dr. Sudip

Bulbbul opened up to generally positive reception[9] from the critics and the audience with a particular praise for its stand on feminism,[10] visual effects, background music, and performance of the leads, especially Tripti Dimri.[11] However, it was criticized for short length and predictable plot.[12]

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express stated: "Bulbbul is very much its own film, the mix of classic pre-Renaissance Bengal and desi horror gothic making for gripping viewing...It is a powerfully feminist, revisionist tale of a woman wronged, and it is told with economy, precision and feeling...Dutt uses the ancient trope of a bloodthirsty ‘chudail with ultey pair’, a familiar creature tale in our scary ‘kisse-kahaani’, to create dread and fear. The writing is skilful and stays on point, and the performances are all solid."[13]

Shilajit Mitra of The New Indian Express stated: "A slender mix of supernatural horror and social commentary, Bulbbul...is a bewitching tale of trauma and heartbreak. It sings of clipped wings and feet, capturing the injustices of a feudal world built on the subjugation and enslavement of women."[14]

Namrata Joshi of The Hindu applauded the rebellious idea of Anvita Dutt and stated: "Anvita Dutt mixes the feudal with the supernatural, the spooky, the mythological and the fablesque in a thoughtful, moving and engaging manner....She mixes the feudal with the supernatural and the spooky, the mythological and the fablesque to strike at the putrid core of patriarchy in a thoughtful, moving, engaging and powerful manner."[15]

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV stated: "The visually lush film uses unshod feminine feet, the mysterious forest, the trees and its shifting colours as narrative codes that conceal secrets and truths that are out there for all to see if one is attentive enough...Tripti Dimri justifies the top billing with a performance that blends the coquettish with the mysterious in fine, enigmatic harmony."[16]

Nairita Mukherjee of India Today applauded the film and its producer Anushka Sharma and stated: "The Anushka Sharma production is an uncomfortable yet almost intoxicating watch...Bulbbul cleverly uses the fairytale trope here to trap the audience....(it) is a brave commentary on patriarchy, and how strong women who cannot be boxed or chained have threatened it in every century. Therefore, they must be burned, just so the phallic pillars of patriarchy can remain standing tall. Except once in a while, a Bulbbul is born from those ashes. And a fairy tale unfolds."[17]

Shubhram Kulkarni[18] of Koimoi gave it 3.5 stars and stated "As much as I am in love with Anvita Dutt as the writer, her direction is point one below. As observed, while the script tries to keep the big reveal hidden, the direction and dialogue make it predictable. Thus making the climax less hitting. But the journey to it is fruitful, which compensates. Also, the red tone that is used in the scenes involving the witch is overused and after a point gets irritating. Probably this is a collective drawback on DOP and the director’s part. While in any horror show music plays a big role, Bulbbul has an adequate amount of it. Music by Amit Trivedi builds the crescendo where needed. The theme piece though is engraved in my memory now." He also stated " Bulbbul may not be the top scorer, the message is the winner in itself. Watch Bulbbul for Tripti Dimri and the idea. As said it takes a woman to be a witch for the world to be afraid of her. We need to change that!"

Samira Sood[19] of ThePrint applauded the concept of the movie and stated "A supernatural horror film that’s also a period drama and a social commentary on the ugliness of patriarchy, Bulbbul is built on a familiar premise — the grandmother’s tale. No matter which part of India one is from, one has probably heard some or other version of a local legend, a fairy-tale, a horror story. As kids, we lapped them up as entertainment, but in reality, they were all cautionary tales, meant to prevent us from straying from the trodden path. And in almost all of them, the one who strayed was a woman." According to her "At just about one and a half hours, Bulbbul is a neatly told movie, and features solid performances by all the main actors as well as some gorgeous cinematography courtesy Siddharth Diwan and production design by Meenal Agarwal. The attention to visual detail, be it the costumes or the tiles of the haveli floors, is commendable, and the music by Amit Trivedi is haunting and moody." She had also showered her praise to the producer Anushka Sharma and Clean Slate Filmz for backing up such a unique story.

Rohit Vats[20] of NEWS18 also praised the movie and Stated "The new Netflix film, directed by Anvita Dutt, makes us familiar to the era of ‘zamindars’ in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but there is a definite shift in the traditional outlook of that time period. Though many Hindi filmmakers have explored the era with a lot of reverence, they mostly refrained from delving deeper into the dark corners of those glorious mansions. On that front, Bulbbul has to offer some new angles, but they might leave you wanting for more." He ended with note "If you’re willing to overlook the most obvious interpretations of the situations shown in the film, Bulbbul will definitely give you chills. And yes, it’s not a jump-scare film, which I think is the best thing about Bulbbul."

Nandin Ramnath[21] of Scroll.in has stated "The extraordinarily crisp Bulbbul doesn’t have too much room for suspense, with some of its answers telegraphed early on and the others arriving in an unwelcome rush. There appears to be a layer or two missing in the screenplay, but whatever is on the screen for 94 minutes is smart, sensitive and haunting."

Stutee Ghosh[22] of the Quint gave it 3 stars and mentioned "One of the questions that the film throws up and doesn’t answer is if the binary between being a devi or a chudail is the only recourse that feminine power has to navigate in this patriarchal set up. No easy answers in sight but nevertheless a visually appealing film." She has also lauded Clean Slate Filmz for producing Bulbbul and stated "Clean Slate Films, founded by Anushka Sharma and her brother Karnesh, has a knack of backing projects with a distinct feminist tone - from NH 10 to Paatal Lok and even the latest Netflix original Bulbbul. Also, Anushka Sharma’s penchant for the supernatural is equally evident. From the friendly ghost in Phillauri, the scary supernatural presence in Pari to the feminine power as the mainstay in this period film, there definitely is a range to the characters."

Kritika Vaid[23] of India.com mentioned the universally positive reaction of the audience in social media and stated "The horror-drama fairy tale has been applauded by the netizens and critics. The film, released two hours ago, gets positive responses and thumbs up, especially for the exceptional performance by the lead actor. Twitterverse is exploding with comments. The story revolves around superstitions and beliefs."

Veteran Director Anurag Kashyap tweeted and gave a rave review about the film calling it one of the best films he has seen in this millennium and also showered praises for the performance by the leads and debutant director Anvita Dutt.[24]

Box office india published an article stating bulbbul won audience's heart and called it a winner .[25]

• Bulbbul on IMDb