In AMP, and particularly in the case of this writer, genre mashups is a favorite movie style, even more so when they are accompanied by a sense of deliriousness. Bhargav Saikia, in his feature debut, comes up with a film that checks both boxes, and is currently premiering in Rotterdam. “Bokshi” was shot over 80 days across remote Himalayan terrains, was developed over five years and produced independently by Saikia’s Mumbai-based company, Lorien Motion Pictures. The title of the movie is primarily used in Nepali to denote a “witch” or a woman believed to practice black magic. In Nepali culture, this term carries significant negative connotations, often leading to social ostracization and persecution of women labeled as such.
Bokshi is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam
Anahita is a young girl who is definitely in trouble. Struggling with the trauma of her mother’s brutal disappearance, the girl has frequent nightmares, offen crossing into supernatural territory, which end up with her peeing her bed. Her father is essentially absent and her grandmother is the one who is taking care of her, with her granddaughter’s behaviour worrying her significantly. The grandmother also seems to hold a grudge towards Anahita’s mother, considering her a witch of sorts, with the same attitude extending to a maid that seems to have the same background, and helps Anahita to connect with her legacy. Things take a turn for the worse, when two male students in school start bullying Anahita after seeing her in a some sort of sapphic endeavour with a fellow student, with the event ending up in violence.
Eventually, though, Anahita, in her new school, meets Shalini, a compassionate history teacher who also runs the Crow Club, which is dealing with a supernatural, archaic phenomenon they call the Navel. The young teacher seems to sympathize with her student’s situation, and eventually invites her to an excursion to a mysterious prehistoric site deep in the woods the club is visiting for one more time. There, Anahita encounters ancient forces rooted in the region’s mythology that force her to confront her terrifying destiny, while a number of things are also revealed about Shalini.
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Allow me to start with the negative. At 166 minutes, the movie is definitely too long, with the illogicality, the plot holes (of sorts) and the relatively low budget which becomes particularly apparent in the first part, not helping in that regard. Add the fact that some of the actors seem non-professionals and their performances are not exactly great, and you have the sum of the issues here.
This, however, does not mean that the movie is without merit; on the contrary, the traits are many and actually overshadow the issues. For starters, the overall atmosphere of disorientation and that something sinister is lurking works particularly well for the film, both on its own and as a build up to a revelation that is hinted at, but is not actually revealed in its full glory until the last part of the movie.
Furthermore, the role reversal that takes place particularly in the forest, where the men are all frightened out of their minds and the women seem to be in charge on a number of levels, is rather well implemented, in a style that is also subtly humorous, adding to the entertainment the movie offers.
The sapphic elements could have been handled a bit better, but as a whole, they work, while the presentation of school ‘politics’ and racism against tribal people cement the contextual richness of the narrative.
Lastly, the last part, where the reds flood the screen, and violence, (vulva-esque) symbolism, ritualism and the supernatural take over are truly impressive to watch, with the combination of Siddharth Sivasankaran and A. Vasanth’s cinematography, Himanshu Chutia Saikia’s editing, the coloring, and Dhiman Karmakar’s sound resulting in a true audiovisual extravaganza, that reminds intently of “Tumbbad” in its overall approach. The mostly 4:3 cinematography in particular is quite competent throughout, with the DPs creating a setting, particularly in the forests, that adds, and occasionally dictates the aforementioned atmosphere. The editing could have been tighter, but the deliriousness of the narrative is communicated well through the cuts, while the mid-tempo also works well for the movie.
Prasanna Bisht as Anahita is convincing in the role, with her intense moments (anger, terror, disorientation) being particularly well presented. The one who steals the show, however, is definitely Mansi Multani as Shalini, with her charisma and the overall mentor/enigmatic persona she presents carrying the movie from beginning to end.
Although not exactly easy to watch, with the duration definitely not helping in that regard, “Bokshi” is definitely a competent debut, that benefits the most by the fact that Saikia seems to have utter creative freedom in his movie.
