Anuradha Dosad

#Bulbbul, a mild identity #Bulbbul, a child bride #Bulbbul, a free spirit #Bulbbul, a ‘ badi-bahu’ #Bulbbul, an honest and loyal friend #Bulbbul, a rape victim #Bulbbul, The Kaali (The Hindu Goddess) or ‘Ultepairowalichudail' #Bulbbul, a radical/ militant feminist “When the bad bleeds, then is the tragedy good"( Cyril Tourneur) Bulbbul is an Indian Hindi- language supernatural drama directed by Anvita Dutt. This film shows some primary interests- Paranormal feminism , revenge tragedy , gothic fiction. It can also be considered as a bildungsroman which is a journey of a girl from childhood to adulthood when she becomes a radical feminist( which eventually leads to her death). Of course, Bulbbul wasn’t conscious of her political choice as a feminist. This is a story of a beautiful woman Bulbbul (Dimri) who got married to a few decades older Indranil (Bose). Bulbbul is raped by Indranil's twin brother Mahendra( who is mentally challenged) which results in her death but instantly by divine grace, she comes back to life which brings a drastic change in her life. She dresses up as a vigilante against men who commit crimes. Dr.Sudip(Parambrata) calls her an avatar of Kali. From the perspective of radical feminism the society is patriarchal where men have more social power than women. They harm women by oppressing them which leads to the rape and domestic violence. The movie conveys the powerful message of the possibilities of a potent feminine anger and revenge. The chief protagonist seeks to abolish the patriarchy (unconsciously) in order to liberate everyone from an unjust society by challenging existing social norms and institutions. It also contains the features of paranormal feminism which can be a wish fulfilment and an alternative feminist discourse.