Tribhanga (2021)

Spoilers ahead:

It's been more than 24 hours since I watched Renuka Shahane's Tribhanga, and I am still falling short of words to describe how much this movie meant to me. It picks up a heavy-loaded term like generational trauma and uses it to weave a story that touches one's heart and soul. A huge round of applause is also due for the cast who did such a fabulous job in adding so much warmth to their characters, and made them that much more relatable.

Honestly, every time I try discussing this movie, all I can come up with is "Renuka Shahane's BRAIN" because that's literally the MVP in this situation. Despite the narrative being so tightly paced that we don't even get an Odissi dance performance by Kajol (yep, I'm just the tiniest bit salty about that), the film still manages to pack in many delicious layers, each more "Renuka Shahane's BRAIN"-inducing than the last. I loved all the attention to details, the tiniest bits that made the movie come together as a true labour of love. Also when Kajol compared men to tissues, my soul FELT IT. That one line almost made it up for the lack of a dance number, but we move.

Speaking of Odissi though, I loved how Anu (Kajol) started learning dance at a relatively later stage of life, considering how almost all stories about dance start with "I started learning at a very young age". It felt so empowering to see her fall in love with dance, and pursue it for her own creative fulfilment. It's such a strong message to give out- that there really is no age to learning and growing, both as a person and as an artist. Renuka Shahane said normalise chasing your passions after the age of 25, and we have no choice but to stan. 

Another thing I really appreciated about the movie was how it never got preachy about motherhood and womanhood. For example, Nayan (Tanvi Azmi being a boss) never said she failed as a mother/woman, she said that she failed to do right by her children despite her immense love for them. And at the end of the day, that's what it is- we're all just humans, scared, scarred and lonely, and sometimes we mess up which has repercussions not just for us, but also for those closest to us. Especially those dependent on us. We let each other down again and again, but at the end of the day, when all is said and done, we let ourselves down the most (this lesson was copied from the confrontation between Anu and Masha, played by Mithila Palkar). In other words, this movie believes in "show, don't tell" and it's beautiful to witness. 

Oh and also, I am an official Mithila stan now. 

I feel like I missed out on several important nuances and layers that I wanted to talk about but the most honest thing I can say about this movie is that it made me want to go and hug my tedhi medhi crazy mother. And also Renuka Shahane, whose brilliance I very possibly may never get over. 

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