Review: Dolly Kitty and Those Twinkling Stars
No matter the age, no matter the culture, yearning for more from your life than what is expected of you is not something uncommon for anyone. Written and directed by Alankrita Shrivastava (writer of the Amazon Prime original Made in Heaven), Dolly Kitty and Those Twinkling Stars (original title Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare) is about a disillusioned Delhi wife and her new-to-town cousin as they grapple with where they are in their lives. Dolly (played by Konkona Sen Sharma) is married with children and lives a normal life of work, cooking, and taking care of her family. Kaajal (played by Bhumi Pednekar) is Dolly’s young cousin who has just moved to live with Dolly and her family after breaking off her engagement. Both of these women are unhappy with where they are in their lives and they’re not the only ones. Dolly Kitty and Those Twinkling Stars is about many things but mainly about who you want to be and the life you choose to live. Although it’s a bit all over the place at times, Shrivastava’s message is heard loud and clear.
Shrivastava’s direction is nothing too special, but it serves its purpose. We get closeups of the characters when we’re meant to see their emotions and we get pretty shots of new complexes being built in Delhi and the city itself. Something that can be appreciated about the cinematography (done by John Jacob Payyapalli) is how none of the scenes are overdone. There aren’t any unnecessary, extravagant shots that don’t add any purpose to the film other than to show off. Likewise, the editing (done by Charu Shree Roy) and particularly the music (composed by Clinton Cerejo and Mangesh Dhakde) also don’t do too much to take away from the focus of the film. The music is fitting with the emotions of the scenes and the pace of the film. The score never rushes the film unnecessary, nor does it try to make itself the forefront of the scenes. In fact, something clever Shrivastava did with the music was how she used repetitive songs during the mundane scenes we see in the beginning, then makes the music much more interesting and unique as the plot develops. This is a brilliant choice to make because the plot and music then coincide with each other.
When speaking of the main purpose of this film, there are many things that can be touched upon. Gender roles and gender expectations, cultural gender expectations, cultural practices and many more. However, all of these tie into one specific theme; individuality. Dolly is sick of the normal life she lives and wants to be more free-spirited. Kaajal broke off an arranged marriage and wants to live her life the way she sees fit. In many Eastern countries the expectations of women are that they are to be married, have children, and raise a “normal” family. Even in Western countries this way of thought still can be seen. What Shrivastava does with her writing in this film is show how this is an antiquated way of thinking. She shows how women are sick of being forced to live that way when they don’t want to. This is something that not only Indian women and Eastern women can relate to, but any woman in the world.
Shrivastava promotes independence and female empowerment through Dolly and Kaajal. Along with Dolly wanting independence, so does one of her sons when he begins to dress like a girl, play with dolls and put on makeup. As can be expected (sadly), his parents were furious. The school was as well when he wanted to go on the girl’s field trip to a doll factory, rather than with the boys to a rail factory. Dolly sees her son seeking freedom just as she does.
All of these points are presented in the movie, however, in the flow of the film, they sometimes get a bit lost. Kaajal begins working at a sex hotline, while still looking for love. Dolly knows she doesn’t just want to work and take care of her family, but her pursuit sometimes gets lost between her wanting more from work, her husband, and affections from another man. Even her son wanting to be a girl can get lost in the mix because there’s so much else going on. They’re all very powerful messages, but perhaps they could have been presented in a less jumbled way.
The bright spots of the film that keep the film centered are Konkona Sen Sharma (Dolly) and Bhumi Pednekar (Kaajal). They lead the film and their performances were spectacular. Sharma plays the motherly role so well, and not just for her family but when she tries to help her younger cousin out as well. She’s stern and strong, but you can tell there’s more to her than meets the eye. Pednekar plays the naïve, confused younger cousin role perfectly. There are many times her character just cries and wallows, but then the next day is out partying and enjoying her life with a bright smile on her face. Both of these women did an excellent job in their roles.
Dolly Kitty and Those Twinkling Stars is an enjoyable film with a wonderful message. Shrivastava’s writing is not only excellent, but important as well. What Netflix has done so well recently, by having a wide array of international original films, is allow viewers across the world to see the lives and perspectives of people they normally wouldn’t be able to. Discussions surrounding gender roles and gender in general are not exclusive to any country. With this film, we are able to see how it’s an even bigger struggle for some because of the stricter societies they live in.
