Baipan Bhari Deva (2023)

A roar of empowerment, not a cry for help. 

When I heard about this film before its release, I hoped for it to not be another pitiful tale of a distressed woman who is helpless but selfless, just like most daily soaps nowadays. But it was going to be directed by Kedar Shinde, so I was excited nevertheless. When the trailer released, I was so impressed already! It was humourous, it tapped on different emotions, and most importantly, it seemed genuinely promising!💌

I went to watch the film and it was a wholesome ride!✨

Firstly, I loveeeeeee when directors want to introduce their characters in a filmy style, I love it. It sets a mood for the film and builds your mind up for further! 

A simple agenda of winning a 'Manglagaur' competition turns into the unfolding of complex emotions, surfacing of old insecurities, fighting with inner demons, voicing suppressed thoughts and standing up strong inspite of all the chaos! The competition and the rehearsals become an outlet for each of the woman to express their emotions and let themselves free, to find a place where they can be their most authentic selves and not be sorry about it. Every woman around us is going through a different journey altogether, no matter how much we say that times have changed, it's not true that times have completely changed. Not at all. Things have just started changing, the society around us still has a very long way to go when it comes to women being totally free, without binding to pressurizing norms or caring about the world. We are not even halfway there yet. 

Every character in this movie has a unique way of their own, everyone has a distinct life and hence, their inner issues and conflicts differ from one another. But as they say "women understand women". No matter if you have gone through it or not, you can understand each of the woman's pain as your own. Because you know you are fighting with something similar yourself. And for all the men, you know the women around you are going through these things no matter how much they pretend they aren't, or no matter how much you try to convince yourself that "it's not that bad". 

I love how all the six sisters in the movie, despite of their issues within each other, regardless of whether they like the other one or not, they are a pillar of support for each other. They stand together and fight the odds, go through rough situations but hold each other again, tighter than ever.💘

This movie doesn't preach, this movie doesn't shout about women empowerment at the top of its lungs, and yet, when you watch it, you get your message just right. Be it men or women, I think all of us have something to learn from this movie, no matter what our family situation is. Everyone relates to atleast one part of the film, if not all of it. As much as I love the fact that women are going to theatres and increasing the box office collection of this movie everyday, I strongly believe it's the men who need to watch it and really understand it. As I said, it's not melodramatic, it's a very apt representation of six very normal women, or atleast, who look normal on the surface. But the inner story is always more deeper. This movie feels like a personal win, and honestly such films and such scripts can only happen in Marathi!❤️

One important thing that I would like to specially mention, is that this movie doesn't force women to be something they are not. 'Manglagaur' is a Maharashtrian tradition meant for women and this movie celebrates the spirit of womanhood through it, it celebrates women as they are in their own element. Over time, even though the tradition is still the same, the women participating in it have transformed a lot, and will continue to in the future. What I want to say is, a tradition can be liberating even if it's well defined. It doesn't have to fit you in a box, instead it can set you free by making you realize who you are. 

The one scene that's appreciated by the audience unanimously amongst many others, is the flashback scene towards the end. The one in which they look back at their past selves and wished they acted differently, their deep regret of not doing something in a particular situation when they were younger, is presented so beautifully on screen, I will not give a spoiler but that one scene is a masterpiece, it totally stands out from the rest!🔥

Please watch the film in theatres if you haven't yet, some things are only meant to watch on the big screen! And if you've watched it, let me know your thoughts on it! 🥺❤️❤️

Thankyou for reading :)