The consequences of patriarchy and forced religiousness has been a topic that has recently been quite prevalent in independent cinema, with India, a country where both are quite dominant, providing a more than fitting setting. Snigdha Kapoor takes the concept a bit further in her latest short “Holy Curse”, which focuses on a non-binary child and the issues she faces.
Holy Curse is screening at BFI London Film Festival
11-year-old Radha is an immigrant in the US, who is on a family visit to India. With their confusion about their identity and puberty hitting hard, they are under a lot of pressure, which piles up even more due to their family. Their father, but particularly their uncle want them to undergo Puja, a ritual he believes will cure what he perceives as an ancestral curse. Radha is frustrated and enervated, and despite their mother’s support, their father’s blind insistence and their cousins constant teasing make things even worse.
In a short that soars with tension from the get-go, Snigdha Kapoor presents an impossible situation in order to eloquently portray her comments. The difficulties non-binary people face, particularly during adolescence is a central one, but is definitely not the only. With the uncle representing patriarchy, lack of understanding, conservatism and forced religiousness, the director essentially makes a comment for the whole of India. The same applies to the way the mother tries to be supportive but also does not understand or is even capable of knowing anything else than what was passed on to her. With the cousin representing the ‘boys-will-be-boys” concept, it becomes evident that Radha has nowhere to turn to, something that actually mirrors the circumstances so many individuals in their place face.
That the father considers Radha cousin’s attitude normal, that the cousin considers Radha’s attitude as ‘American’, and that the mother essentially believes that her daughter should just grind her teeth and get on with it as that is the fate of women, cement the social comments here, while justifying Radha’s mentality and behavior.
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The ridiculousness of the ritual under such circumstances, the concept of the doll and the way communicating with their cousin provides a way out highlight another set of comments, which move in a more positive way, particularly the last one.
In the end though, what Kapoor seems to state is that unless the person oppressed decides to act for themselves, nothing will ever change, with the impact of the final act of defiance highlighting the fact in the most impactful, but also hilarious way.
Newcomer Mrunal Kashid in the role of Radha is exceptional, highlighting her inner turmoil for the dead-end she finds herself in the best way. The moment she mellows and the finale are the apogee of an overall memorable performance. Anup Soni as the uncle is also great, highlighting his intransigence and essentially, his ignorance, in the best fashion.
Juhi Sharma’s cinematography follows an approach that frequently borders on the documentary, with the permeating realism essentially dictating the whole narrative. Anadi Athaley’s editing results in a fast pace that is also part of the tension that permeates the movie, while allowing Kapoor to tell her story and make her comments without rushing particularly, even in just 15 minutes.
“Holy Curse” is an excellent short, well-shot, well-acted and well-directed, but most of all, pointed, realistic and quite smart in the way Kapoor presents her comments.
