Freedom. Choice. Dreams. Liberation. Individuality. Making a strong case for women to shake off the clutches of patriarchy is #AlankritaSrivastava’s new film that dropped on #Netflix India.
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews #DollyKittyAurWohChamakteSitare starring #KonkonaSenSharma and #BhumiPednekar as cousins from Bihar who now live in Noida and wrestle with the ghosts in their respective worlds but also impact each other’s thoughts and outlook in this cauldron of evolving emotions.
Dolly lives in Noida with her straying husband (#AamitBashir) and two children. She dreams of moving into her own little apartment and is paying up instalments for the same.
At the office, she is dealing with patriarchy but manages to maintain her sanity. Back at home, there is her little son who loves cross-dressing. Enter her cousin, Kaajal and the film almost opens with a scene where Dolly’s husband is making a pass at her. Kaajal takes up an assignment at a call-centre that provides phone romance for male clients. She befriends one of her clients Pradeep (#VikrantMassey) only to find that he ditches her when in trouble. Meanwhile, Dolly who wants to remain blind to her husband’s behaviour goes out with a delivery boy (#AmolParasher) and finds love and longing.
On the surface, one would breeze through #DKAWCS and say this is another women empowerment film or maybe even go a little further and term it as one of those currently trending #SmashthePatriarchy films. But what stands out as you reflect is that it is an outlet for the woman who wants to express multiple things in a society that keeps her bound with stereotypical roles. We pride ourselves on changing times and talk about women breaking the glass ceiling but then have we stopped and asked what it is that they the women actually want. Aren’t we in danger of the menfolk deciding what’s best for the women? And I think that’s the number one reason to go see this film.
It is a rather busy film and deals with a multitude of issues – feminism, transgender children, failing marriages, sex outside marriage, consensual sex, inter-religious couples and even the right-wing moral brigades that are out to freshly define the boundaries of love. Within all this, the two women stand out for their conviction, their daring to dream and making a claim for themselves. Dolly is not afraid to finally walk out of a failing marriage. Kaajal is not upset about losing her virginity to a cheat; rather the act of loving and losing in love makes her stronger and willing to fight harder.
Dolly is depicted as a woman who lives in denial and wants to improve her stock. Her cousin Kaajal, meanwhile is forthright and proud of the fact that working for the call-centre is her choice and not a burden on her. The women confront each other on values but soon realise that these are what society has prescribed as moral standards for them. In one scene where they both break down, realisation sets in that the fight is actually not about conforming but about charting their own destinies.
The Greater Noida milieu is rather apt to talk about the status of women. The unfinished buildings and the dreams of the women are metaphors for the status that they enjoy in society. Dolly makes up the instalments for her flat by managing the cash flows while Kaajal finds love in a semi-finished building. In one classic scene, both the women are taking a horror ride and that is when Kaajal choses to reveal the truth about Dolly’s husband.
One comes away with the feeling that there is simply too much happening in the film. It sometimes strays into issues like the world of the delivery boys or the real-estate scams and these can potentially detract from the main narrative. In the end, the two leading ladies steal the honours and do a brilliant job of emoting their heart out.
Even as I write this, the news channels are agog with the news of the Hathras teenager’s rape and murder. It is a travesty of our times that on the one hand we have such heinous crimes that happen in the name of caste and religion and on the other, the women in urban cities are crying to find a voice. #DollyKittyAurWohChamateSitare is a story that needs to be told. And told several times over. Somewhere this is not just about breaking the shackles. It is about earning the right to be counted as an individual and a human-being!
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