Indian films about the sexual desires of women are not exactly the norm, at least among the films we get to see in the West. However, this is exactly what Devashish Makhija shows in “Cheepatakadumpa”, his self-produced short that came from a script that was improvised over many weeks of rehearsals with the film's actors (all hailing from India's National School of Drama), drawing from their personal challenges of growing up as women in a patriarchal small town in India.
“Cheepatakadumpa ” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
The movie begins in a truly outlandish way, as Teja, a young girl, is riding a mechanical bull in an amusement park, eventually reaching an orgasm to the astonishment of the friend who accompanies here, Santo. After a bit of playful mocking about what happened, Santo also reveals that she is about to have sex with a married man, during a full moon night. A bit later, another girlfriend of theirs, Tamanna, also arrives to the park, although in full face hijab, and is even more astonished when she hears about her friends' shenanigans. Soon, however, and after a lesson in female anatomy, the other two convince her to have an orgasm by herself, which comes, though, in a fashion that no one expected. The “deed” though, seems to give a new kind of perspective in life to Tamanna.
Straying away from the darker themes of his previous works, Devashish Makhija directs a rather playful short that seems to comment on the place of women in Indian society, particularly in settings where patriarchy dominates, with Tamanna essentially being a victim of its rules. That he presents these comments through the concept of sex, and particularly different types of masturbation, emerges as a rather ideal choice, inducing a narrative that could well be dramatic, with humor and amusement, resulting in a truly hilarious and entertaining short. At the same time, the “solution” that he suggests, which essentially passes through the path of orgasm for pleasure's sake, is ingenious as it is outlandish in the particular setting. Furthermore, the presence of the old “masseuse” add another great element, that even adds a very intriguing sense of ritualism in the movie.
The acting by Bhumika Dube, Ipshita Chakraborty Singh and Annapurna Soni is in perfect resonance with the film's overall aesthetics, with the improvisation of the girls working quite well, and their smiles and laughter feeling the screen with joy. Particularly the initial scene and the last phone call are a testament to the quality of the acting here, as much as two of the most memorable scenes in the movie.
Rohin Raveendran Nair captures the aforementioned aesthetics through mostly bright colors that work well for the overall approach, with the quality remaining the same even in the sole dark setting of the movie. Makhija and Ronak Singh's editing induce the short with a relatively fast pace that, again, suits the narrative nicely.
“Cheepatakadumpa” is another excellent work by Makhija, who proves that he can also shine in a different kind of filmmaking. Now we just have to wait for his new feature…
