Rating: *
Krish (Aamir Bashir) and Meera (Sandhya Mridul) are on a road to nowhere. The married couple is travelling to Goa for a vacation, but they can’t move an inch forward without squabbling. Blame it on Meera. All poor Krish is trying to do is take in the coastal breeze and find a rare species of butterfly that was last seen decades ago. If only Meera, chain-smoking abusive nag that she is, would let him be. Why can’t she understand that her husband needs to channel his inner lepidopterist?
When Sarthak Dasgupta’s English-language debut feature isn’t being smarmy about working women, it’s trying to push some cod philosophy about finding the self. The butterfly, you see, is a metaphor for that elusive thing called happiness. In all fairness, Dasgupta probably doesn’t realise how misogynistic his movie is. Several Hindie filmmakers have high-minded views on many issues, but don’t seem to be able to create intelligent and rational-minded women characters. The Great Indian Butterfly could have been a far more nuanced and interesting movie if it had portrayed Meera’s character with more sympathy. The fact that she suspects her husband of having an affair with Koel Purie’s character is glossed over. However, the person who suffers the most is Bashir. The talented actor’s good work is undermined by poor scripting and weak characterisation. Nandini Ramnath |
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