Tribhanga
Family Drama – 1h 35m
IMDb – 6.2/10
Tribhanga is a story about mothers and daughters and their estranged relationship and the conflicts that have been constant between them. It also analyses society’s tendency to label a woman no matter what they do. Written and directed by Renuka Shahane
Tribhanga Movie Review:
Title derived from an Indian classical dance pose from Odissi, which is described as imperfect but beautiful, quite like the lives of the three women.
Tribhanga Script Analysis:
Speaking of the script, it’s like “same food with amazing garnish.” The same story has been done so many times. Nothing original about this. The woman telling women stories without judging them. The movie is set from the 80s to the present day. Nayantara is a writer by profession. By nature, she was strong-headed, not that all her ways are good or have good intentions, but everyone’s made of flaws, played by Tanvi Azmi. Her daughter Anuradha (Kajol) is a generation ahead and takes some traits of her mother and is a woman with voice and anger. Anu’s daughter Masha played by Mithila Palkar, was born in the present day and was supposed to be a combination of her mother and grandmother is contradictory.
Shahane portrays the character Misha as a conclusion to the dark environment that all three have faced. Masha surrenders herself to a patriarchal family just so her kids could have people to call theirs and not be treated as orphans.
1h 35 min felt short to cover topics like child abuse, female feticide, undemanding love, personal conflicts, and many more. It reflects she wanted to cover many more pieces of such topics, but duration played a villain here.
The movie also shows how Anuradha had to face a lot of criticism for being a single mother. But a lot of unrealistic scenes.
Stills like a primary teacher asking a child if her parents are divorce is quite weird or making fun of her, having her mother’s second name and not father’s.
The writing only scratches the surface but failed to peel off the layers showing what these people truly stand for. Your emotional investment in the film and its characters is marred by its inability to draw you in.
Performances:
Tanvi Azmi, Kajol, Mithila Palkar are in the lead. Tanvi Azmi added a soul to the character by her beautiful performance. Knowing even the number of mistakes her character has done you will root for her.
However, Kajol using F word in every single sentence was a bit too much and seemed unnecessary. Mithila Palkar looks different for her straightened hair, impresses with her balanced demeanor, and manages to grab eyeballs.
Direction:
Renuka Shahane, who makes her Hindi feature debut as a director & a writer with Tribhanga. Previously, she made and acted Rita, a thought-provoking Marathi film based on her mother’s acclaimed novel Rita Welinkar. She has some tit-bits while making the film that she keeps in mind and adds in the movie. The movie is set predominantly Maharashtrian and there are references to a Marathi household. ‘Kagdad Bandlele Besanache Ladoo’ (Sweets packed in the paper), the typical houses, there is nostalgia for a Marathi viewer.
The only con is the lack in the direction in smooth transitions. The climax comes at an abrupt spot, and it took me a good 2 minutes to digest, that is how it all sums up. It takes Nayan a life to understand her mistakes, but Kajol a minute. The outcome is diluted.
All in all, don’t expect much as it can shatter your expectations.
A very light-hearted movie. Renuka as a storyteller had a lot to say but couldn’t able to express due to shortage of time. “Tribhanga” commits all its exertions to exhibit a ruptured relationship between a Mother & a Daughter and their conclusive reconciliation. That part is love. Watch Tribhanga on Netflix!
Why to watch
- Ruptured relationship between Mother & Daughter and their reconciliation
- Kajol’s character is inspiring and refreshing
- Great story line, relatable and an eye-opener
- If fan of anyone from the cast, there isn’t any second choice
- Importance of family
- Reminds of a quote by Joy Browne ‘Adulthood was invented to repair the wounds of childhood”
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