Rating : 3.8/5
Genre : Drama/Feminist
Year : 2020
Running time : 2 hours 10 minutes
Director : Alankrita Shrivastav
Cast : Konkona Sen Sharma, Bhumi Pednekar, Vikrant Massey, Karan Chandra, Amol Parasher, Amir Bashir, Neelima Azim, Kubbra Siat
Kid rating : A, R
Podcast Review : Here
Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare is directed by Alankrita Shrivastav. And because she also directed Lipstick Under My Burkha I had high hopes for this film; couldn’t wait for the 18th!Am glad to say then, that I’m not disappointed. DKAWCS (the title is such a mouthful) is the feminist film of 2020.
The story revolves around two cousin sisters, Radha aka Dolly (Konkona) and Kaajal (Bhumi) who have moved far from home (Bihar) to Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Dolly lives with her husband and 2 sons, and Kaajal has come to stay them, as she works a factory job. Kaajal decides to find her own place, because the brother-in-law is getting a little too touchy-feely. She also manages to quit her job and then, sans the protection of her sister’s home, it’s her and the wild, wild world out there. Meanwhile Dolly didi (as Kaajal refers to her) is also getting tired of pretending to be the happy housewife . . .
Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare is the journey of the two sisters as they wend their way around what they have and what they want, and those two things are very different. Those are the two main story arcs, but the film also manages to feature moral policing and general lawlessness, societal misogyny/expectations, double standards, religious discrimination, angsty relationships, low self-esteem, various building scams and the taboo around being gay. Some of those issues feel real – like the scene where Kaajal on a lonely road is heckled by a car full of men, or a slowly sauntering bus and it’s leering bus conductor (brought to mind the Nirbhaya case). But some feel shoehorned in there; I wish the director had chosen a few issues and focussed on them.
While Dolly has her head firmly stuck in the sand, ignoring all the uncomfortable truths around her by buying more and more stuff, Kaajal (or Kitty as she’s known at her new job) makes bolder choices but realizes that being a “bold” women has other consequences. The film also explores female desire and sexuality more than any other recent Bollywood film, which is not saying a lot, but still.
I really liked that the characters seem real, flawed like the rest of us. I really liked that the women in the film had actual conversations about themselves, and their wants and needs. I liked the way the characters grow, and the budding awakening in them that they are people too with desires that deserve attention and fulfillment. I like that the film questions the roles that society relegates women to – mother, wife, daughter – neatly slotted away and left to pasture.
Director Shrivastav could not have chosen better actors – Sen-Sharma and Pednekar are marvelous. And they are ably supported by the men in the film: Massey plays Kitty’s boyfriend, Bashir is Dolly’s husband, Parasher is a delivery-boy who often delivers food to Dolly’s home, and Kundra is a Noida DJ. Neelima Azim is fabulous in a small cameo as Dolly’s unconventional mother.
The film felt slow-paced and missed the twisty, unpredictable turns of Lipstick under my Burkha. As I said the film felt crammed with all the issues the director was trying to highlight. On the flip side, there is so much more telling left to this story, and I would love to have a series full of Dolly and Kitty. Because despite the slow-pace, their lives were so addictive to watch. I wanted to know what they would do, and I was invested in their lives.
Which is essentially why this film is as good as it is. Go watch!
Kidwise: Only suitable for an adult audience – sex, sexual talk, language etc.
