Neeraj Ghaywan's 'Geeli Pucchi' Paints a Brilliant Blue Expanse of Emancipation
The individual experience of Dalit womenâs lives is neither denied nor fetishized but used to see how social, economic and cultural structures produce her as an oppressed but equally argumentative subject.
Konkona Sensharma (left) and Aditi Rao Hydari in Neeraj Ghaywan's 'Geeli Puchhi. From Netflix's 'Ajeeb Daastaans'. Photo: Netflix
Ajeeb Daastaansâ / Strange Tales, it strikes one that
director Neeraj Ghaywanâs short â â
Geeli Puchhiâ/ Sloppy Kisses â is the only angry essay in a series that otherwise explores how love is interrupted and disfigured by sexual marginalisation, class prejudice and ableism. It stands out for its vivid and luminous rage. We feel every beat of the filmâs primary protagonist, Bharati Mondolâs repeated humiliation and torment on account of her caste, sexuality and gender. But Ghaywanâs film also gives us the rare opportunity to see her cunningly reconfigure it into an access route towards the possibilities of emancipation.