Tribhanga

"What fabrications they are, mothers. Scarecrows, wax dolls for us to stick pins into, crude diagrams. We deny them an existence of their own, we make them up to suit ourselves -- our own hungers, our own wishes, our own deficiencies."

Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin

The Netflix movie "Tribhanga" reminded me of the above quote. We have our own expectations from our mothers. It's easier to find fault with the choices they took ( if at all they were bold enough to make choices of their own) in their lives for our messed up lives.

Anu, an Odissi dancer, a Padma awardee ( played beautifully by Kajol) puts the characters of  her mother, an eminent writer ( as always, expertly portrayed by Tanvi Azmi), her daughter and herself, in terms of Odissi dance postures. The journey from an "abhanga" ( slightly off balanced) grand mother through a "Tribhanga" ( complicated) daughter to a "samabhanga" ( well balanced) grand daughter. In order to achieve that balance or stability, Masha the grand daughter had to go into to a very conventional marital home, forsaking all her freedom of choice, so much so that she had to undergo a sex determination test of her unborn baby. 

One can't help but think what a dull performance it would be to stay in samabhanga throughout one's life!!! What is there in the dance of life without frequent abhanga and some thribhanga poses!!!! I would have liked that point stressed in a movie written and directed by Renuka Shahane. Apart from that it is a nicely and aesthetically crafted movie. Kajol rocks!!!

Preetha Raj