December 5, 2025 • 17 mins
The Girlfriend seems like a direct response to the widespread misogyny of Indian cinema, but it feels disingenuous because it stars someone who has defended that very misogyny.
We discuss the unintelligent character that Rashmika Mandanna has been saddled with, and wonder if the only path towards feminism that Indian filmmakers know involves taking a detour via humiliation.
We also talk about the film’s on-the-nose storytelling, which undermines its noble intentions, touch upon the patriarchal irony of the film’s pivotal moment, and provide an unrealistic pathway for Mandanna’s redemption.
—
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:16):
Hi, I'm Akhara and I'm Rohan. Nahu.
Welcome. To the log take, this week we're
discussing the Rashmi Kamandara movie The Girlfriend, which is
essentially like an anti Kabir Singh or something.
I don't know where it is anyway.It's not great or good even.
Yeah. What do you make of Ron?
Yeah, not good. Very on the nose.
Yeah, it's like. Hammering every point from three
(00:38):
different directions if it can. I don't, I don't know who this
movie is supposed to be for likeat all because.
I mean, it's like a response, like it, I mean, it's
well-intentioned is the only thing, right?
That's it. There are a lot of poorly
intentioned movies like the one that's mentioned in Indian
cinema. It's on the right side of
(00:59):
history is all you can like stand and call for itself, but
it's like not a hill you can diefor.
Be like, oh, this is the cinema that we want.
Yeah, I mean, it's the response.Whatever it is, is ironically to
Rashmika's own work. But we sat down one day and I
was like, reviewing with her agents and like, what have we
been doing with my filmography? So I think we need to fix your
(01:22):
PR. Crisis.
I don't know, because she very confidently defended the
nonsense that was an animal whenit was time to promote that
movie. Yeah, naturally.
That's all like I feel like about our most actors are right,
Like whatever they're promoting in that few months, they will
swing that way with the wind. So like, this is one of those
things because it's so deeply connected to external factors.
(01:45):
The movie itself, I don't think it can be viewed as a separate
entity simply because of the person that they've cast.
And the Telugu movies are particularly bad in this regard.
And this is a Telugu movie. Probably a lot of people who
make those misogynist films willat least be aware of this.
If not, you know, having, if notanything else, they might even
(02:08):
watch it. I don't know.
So it makes you wonder if there is like an actual ideology
behind or if it's just like a like a opportunist sort of thing
that this is a market that we haven't really tapped into.
So let's try and do that. Yeah, I would.
I mean, I don't know why I'm giving them the other doubt, but
I would like to think at least that it came from a well
(02:31):
meaning. I was like, Oh my God, like our
cinema is over then with like male narratives and to even have
like, this is what happens, right?
Like we have covered movies on this podcast before where even
though the story is about the woman, the POV is the man right?
So at least that is not an issuehere.
It's called the girlfriend. It is from Bumas point of view.
She is clearly the bigger star. Which is why they don't.
(02:53):
That's what happens the moment you make the movie about the
woman. It's like it's impossible to
cast a star of her level in the main league because they will
never play like a subservient ora supporting role.
It's like men are just like all male stars in India.
I feel like are like Dwayne Johnson and like Jason Statham,
like how they were Fast and Furious contracts.
They're like nearly how many cars are there?
Hamari was kinda. Plus, it's better you you also
(03:16):
it's like you're playing second fiddle, but you're also playing
the unambiguous villain. The movie is not even trying to
be like maybe this guy had like a bad for whatever.
It's just like this guy and fromlike minute one you're like, Oh
my God, it's from those things, right?
Yeah. And it's like the the villain
has to be like extra villainous and the the girl has to be like
(03:36):
almost angelic. So she.
Is no, there is. No, like nuance, forget nuance,
but there is no like depth to the character.
Also, we don't really understandwhy she's behaving in a certain
way or why. I mean, you're it's left your
imagination, right? Is it like upbringing?
Is it like the culture around orwe really know?
(03:57):
Yeah, it felt like essentially that she's never actually had a
relationship or anything, right,Which is why she just like falls
into it. Like it happens almost of her
without her accord. She barely consents to it and
the next morning she's already being labeled the girlfriend.
I'm like, there is a path to this because she has no
experience of whatever like is happening to her.
(04:18):
It's. Almost like she feels like, what
feels good, what feels bad? Why are we putting ourselves
through something that feels bad?
There has to be some, like, motivation to it other than, you
know, you're just stumbling forward in life.
Yeah. It's not like she's like 15
years old, right? It's not like a coming of age
movie that you don't know the first time you're getting these
feelings. These are people who have
completed like their bachelor. This is a master's score, so
(04:38):
they're basically 2122. Possibly they're full grown
adults. Yeah, and especially because the
like the friend, her friend seesthe dude as a red flag, but she
doesn't. So like, I need to at least know
that what is the reason why one person in the same room is
viewing the situation differently and not our
(04:59):
protagonist? Like, where does she come from?
Why? And I mean that would just add a
little more. Like why is she so easily giving
into all of it essentially? Yeah, I mean, there's no
complexity, right? It's almost as if she is like a
zombie. This is happening to me.
OK, let's go along. With it and Torah is a reverse
misogyny wojata and OK you can only like to make a point about
(05:22):
how assertive this person can be.
You have to 1st depict her as Yeah I.
Hate those arcs like they have to like do polar opposites as if
Like there's no middle in her things.
It's not like, do you remember that movie?
I don't know if we did it on thepodcast, that movie in which the
there are two women, one loses her husband and then the
(05:42):
mother-in-law becomes a little weird and there is a flood
happening. The Malayalam.
Movie. I don't think so.
I can't remember this movie at all.
OK, I'm forgetting the name. Anyway, so basically like it
felt like there are real people and that they have like wants
and desires and needs and whatever and complex feelings.
Because she doesn't like her husband, she's engaged in an
affair and the mother-in-law becomes aware of that affair.
(06:05):
But the guy that she's seeing islike a red flag.
We know it, but she doesn't knowit.
So there's a lot of there's a lot of stuff happening here
after like the first five, you know, exactly what's going to
happen. Yeah.
And then it's just a test for patients now one episode, Kava
mota, then Ekor episode should wrote escalate.
And then you're like, OK, so at what point will she snap out of
(06:27):
it is the only question. Yeah, like, this is like
dragging on for no reason. I also didn't like is the fact
that this movie is essentially about a woman trying to escape
and from a man and sort of like,build a life for herself
history, right? Like, have your own viewpoints,
do it for yourself kind of thing.
Like that's what you're trying to push.
And the final straw, like a final straw, like breaks the
(06:48):
camel's back, is not herself. It's not like, oh, you disrupted
me at my play, didn't like say any good things and you made it
about yourself. It's not about my job.
It's not about this, like all ofthat.
It's the fact that finally her father sees them and he goes
berserk. And that's the thing that breaks
her. I'm like, so a woman's breaking
point is another man. Yeah, among the many weird
(07:09):
things that this movie does. It's stupid misstep, right?
If you're making a movie about individuality and the fact that
people should live their own lives and have their own
opinions and like build their own moral center, whatever
worldview, don't do it for another man, no matter if it's
your father. I mean, if she needed to like an
external push, then I don't knowwhat changed.
(07:31):
Like the we don't really need tosee the external push.
We need to see the internal kindof transformation that makes her
receptive to the external push. Yeah, if that makes sense.
So that we don't see like what has changed inside of her that
she's now seeing what she wasn'tseeing earlier.
Yeah, because. She goes through that like her
personal desires, everything is being crushed around her.
(07:51):
Whatever she tries to do, like she really wanted to like do
that art thing on the stage because she's never going to do
it. Like she so like billet around
those things that she's losing her sense of self.
And I would be like, oh, that's great because that's what the
movie is about. But don't do it for like
entirely like, oh, no, I accepted all of this.
I caved in. She caves in after all of that
and she didn't need any exams there.
It's not you. And finally she like what set
(08:14):
breaks her is like Oh no my dad is upset so we can't do this
like I need. To that said, you know, I can
imagine an audience that has only seen mainstream Telugu
movies their entire life watching this and basically
having their minds blown becauseit's not just I don't know about
like real life stuff, but it's also like the film cinema
(08:35):
correspond to real life stuff. The the main character is, I
don't know if he's like a personthat you would actually bump
into, but he's definitely someone that we've seen on
screen. So is the woman, right?
So these are like archetypes more than people.
And for an industry and culture that is so like rooted in
misogyny, especially in cinema, like this could come across as
(08:58):
radical. But like, I don't know, like,
like that's it, right? Very limited group of people.
It's because the point of hit onis worth hitting on doesn't mean
the approach you're taking or the way you're depicting make it
makes it anymore worthwhile. Because the movie is about a
toxic relationship. Yeah.
Like that is the only layer it has.
(09:19):
Like the one thing it's about isthe toxic.
Relationship it's like the volume is fine that it's like,
Oh my God, like the things this guy is doing, they are absurd
and crazy. Like he needs to stop.
Like that's the only thing it isable to like actually hit on the
right note, which most movies will just do the opposite right.
Oh no, he's like he's so sweet. He's like all about you, like
he's devoting himself to you. That's what all most Indian
(09:40):
cinema. He was the male protagonist as
who keeps chasing the woman at least so this movie is able to
see the lens is OK but everything.
Else is good, execution is a little iffy.
I don't know if that's deliberate to kind of speak very
directly to the audience that watches a Kabir Singh or Arjun
Reddy or whatever nonsense, or if it's like that's just the
sensibilities that we're dealingwith.
I don't know that. But then I also thought that
(10:02):
there is a way in which you could have kind of surprised
audiences, but that would have required the movie to end on a
little like shocking or provocative.
Note. I, because recently I watched
this on a documentary CD, is oneof those Netflix things.
I'm forgetting the name. It was about a teenage girl who
gets basically taken hostage in her own house by a jilted lover,
(10:27):
like this much older guy who she'd been dating, who basically
they had a breakup. And the guy enters her house
with, like, ammunition and weapons and says that I'm going
to die. I don't care.
I'm going to hold you here and let the world know that what you
did to me was wrong. And basically there was like a
siege for days when the police negotiated outside.
(10:50):
The whole community has shown upoutside the apartment building.
All of that is happening. And then after a couple of days,
like the news, people are talking to the bystanders.
And all the bystanders are like,but Sacha Pyar to Heina Dekho,
you know? Which is essentially what is
happening like with this the last third year, right?
Like Vicky goes crazy because he's like, how dare you break up
with me now? I'm going to make your life like
(11:10):
hell forever, not like for a fewdays, and I'll get over it
forever. Yeah, so it's fully like those.
It has to go in that direction where the guy wants to take
revenge. But then in the documentary
which is based on a realized thing, the dude kills the girl
you know which is then like. There are enough movies about
that in India too, because that is a reality here.
Yeah, the acid paying the thing.And that's when the public kind
(11:34):
of realizes, oh, this was not love.
This was like a deranged person.Yeah, like.
What was okay with it is like when she's actually had her
lowest just before that festivaland she's she's wiped away all
of that on her door and she finally, like, you know,
basically could not be at beyondanything at this point.
And then she calls her dad againbecause she's like, please pick
(11:55):
up. I hopefully, like, you know,
someone will pick me from this like life, which is like
completely shattered. And he does finally pick up and
then he becomes an call on the call complete call does not like
care what she's going through, does not even ask.
Basically victim blames the entire time, fully misogynist,
chauvinistic and says do not like speak to me ever again.
(12:18):
Right. But is that deliberate?
Is the movie also saying like she's grown up in that
environment where the person or is that just?
No, no, I get that. Like if you want to portray the
culture sack fully on board like, you know, like parents and
there are enough like fathers like this in India.
I'm sure like honor killing is athing in India for one reason
after all. What I don't get then is that
she go flips, right? That's basically like what like
(12:39):
pushes her into like crazy territory, which is why she does
what she does for the next 10 minutes.
But then in the epilogue, without telling us what
happened, she's calling the dad again.
And I'm like. What is that?
That thing right? Our country, I feel like is
built around women catering to men.
That is a sad reality of like women getting.
Worried I'm wondering if it was deliberate even or if the movie
(13:02):
is not even clocking that it's making this misstep.
Yeah, he's not making that misstep at all.
Like I need a scene where the dad figures out what he's done
is terrible. What he said on the call and he
apologizes that he never happens.
The women is expected to give the man automatically, Yeah.
I mean, it's going from one toxic relationship to another,
right? Yeah, she had presumably been
so. Vicky's out of her life, but the
(13:23):
dad is not. He is still that person.
And I don't know if he's apologized or if they ever sat
down, but she is checking on himabout his heart condition and
stuff. I'm like, why are you doing
this? Sequel Sequel May Hoga Dad daddy
issues their daughter. Their daughter?
Yeah, Then the wife. Yeah, like this is, this is the
reality of being a woman in India, right?
You just like entire life is different.
(13:45):
Decades of dealing with different toxic men.
Yeah. You are always like somebody
else's wife, daughter, sister, etcetera.
You're not like Bhuma. It's kinda Bhuma, yeah.
The final movie will be called Bhuma.
After you have detached yourselffrom every man, you have finally
become a cat lady and you're like screw all the Indian men.
I am now Bhuma. You have become, yeah, you have
finally found, found who you areand you have become your.
(14:08):
Own thing 70 years and they'll be like Oh my God my life is
over. This is the greatest experiment
in cinema history. You're welcome.
I mean. Yeah, Rashwika should prepare
this character like, you know, the boyhood thing for like ages
now, every decade she needs to make one movie about this.
Boomaka kya kar riyaavi. Then then at the end of her and
30 years, 40 years from now, I can be like, yes, Rashwika, now
(14:28):
we can forget that you did animal and justified it.
Aditabtakosin. She must have done 15 animals
more. That is the sad reality for
India is because he'll always have one girlfriend and we'll
have 20 animals ratio wise. Yeah.
So overall, yeah, pretty. I understand why people are
appreciating it. I appreciate like you said, like
I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't appreciate like just the
(14:50):
movie making. Yeah, yeah.
Like this happens to be a lot oftimes.
I remember this happened last year also.
You know, people keep crying every time you know that.
Why do people keep giving money to terrible movies Like every
year if you look at the top grossing ones, the chart is
filled with like Kantaras and Chavas and all of whatnot
nonsense every year. Why no?
Why does no one go watch independent cinema?
And then they'll give you an example, right, of some
independent cinema to watch. Let's everyone's been ignoring
(15:12):
and then they'll die on a hill of a movie that is not even
worth watching. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Which is this? So like last year was like it
was super boy from Malaga and I'm like, no, please do not die
on this. Hill Super Boy is a Malaga.
It was this year. Dude, oh, it was this year.
Oh my God. It feels like forever ago, but
OK, I think you're right. This was this year, just very
early this year. No, last year was La Pata
ladies. Yeah, I'm like, just stop dying
(15:33):
on the hill of these movies, man.
Like you want to like super argue or see find at least
someone better thing like you know like say make a video on
homebound don't make it around supervisor the.
Malaga, our homebound, is also apparently too on the nose for
certain people, which is what I'm seeing online.
Oh my God, I'm over it. I don't know where like the
camera zooms into the cracked heels of that Lady was like, oh,
(15:57):
it's a little too on the nose. I don't supposed to be that.
But yeah, like, please do not tell me that you know, we're
watching the raw movies and thenmention the movies called Malaga
and Girlfriend. No thanks.
Yeah, yeah. Is the same as you know what are
underrated Indian movies for youand somebody will say Tamasha or
something Like what? Yeah, it's like a lacking,
really, like really, really lacking things.
(16:18):
Yeah, yeah, this. Is, like, annoying on an
entirely different level. Yeah, but ultimately the goal of
this podcast is to just make us annoyed.
That I think we knew the moment we did like Bill bitch or as the
first episode like we started with the pandemic at where like
I think that mind the state of mind that will never leave us
with always She stuck there in that depression right time to
(16:41):
laptop. Yeah, as hard for this episode
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Bye.
Hi, I'm Akhara and I'm Rohan. Nahu.
Welcome. To the log take, this week we're
discussing the Rashmi Kamandara movie The Girlfriend, which is
essentially like an anti Kabir Singh or something.
I don't know where it is anyway.It's not great or good even.
Yeah. What do you make of Ron?
Yeah, not good. Very on the nose.
Yeah, it's like. Hammering every point from three
(00:38):
different directions if it can. I don't, I don't know who this
movie is supposed to be for likeat all because.
I mean, it's like a response, like it, I mean, it's
well-intentioned is the only thing, right?
That's it. There are a lot of poorly
intentioned movies like the one that's mentioned in Indian
cinema. It's on the right side of
(00:59):
history is all you can like stand and call for itself, but
it's like not a hill you can diefor.
Be like, oh, this is the cinema that we want.
Yeah, I mean, it's the response.Whatever it is, is ironically to
Rashmika's own work. But we sat down one day and I
was like, reviewing with her agents and like, what have we
been doing with my filmography? So I think we need to fix your
(01:22):
PR. Crisis.
I don't know, because she very confidently defended the
nonsense that was an animal whenit was time to promote that
movie. Yeah, naturally.
That's all like I feel like about our most actors are right,
Like whatever they're promoting in that few months, they will
swing that way with the wind. So like, this is one of those
things because it's so deeply connected to external factors.
(01:45):
The movie itself, I don't think it can be viewed as a separate
entity simply because of the person that they've cast.
And the Telugu movies are particularly bad in this regard.
And this is a Telugu movie. Probably a lot of people who
make those misogynist films willat least be aware of this.
If not, you know, having, if notanything else, they might even
(02:08):
watch it. I don't know.
So it makes you wonder if there is like an actual ideology
behind or if it's just like a like a opportunist sort of thing
that this is a market that we haven't really tapped into.
So let's try and do that. Yeah, I would.
I mean, I don't know why I'm giving them the other doubt, but
I would like to think at least that it came from a well
(02:31):
meaning. I was like, Oh my God, like our
cinema is over then with like male narratives and to even have
like, this is what happens, right?
Like we have covered movies on this podcast before where even
though the story is about the woman, the POV is the man right?
So at least that is not an issuehere.
It's called the girlfriend. It is from Bumas point of view.
She is clearly the bigger star. Which is why they don't.
(02:53):
That's what happens the moment you make the movie about the
woman. It's like it's impossible to
cast a star of her level in the main league because they will
never play like a subservient ora supporting role.
It's like men are just like all male stars in India.
I feel like are like Dwayne Johnson and like Jason Statham,
like how they were Fast and Furious contracts.
They're like nearly how many cars are there?
Hamari was kinda. Plus, it's better you you also
(03:16):
it's like you're playing second fiddle, but you're also playing
the unambiguous villain. The movie is not even trying to
be like maybe this guy had like a bad for whatever.
It's just like this guy and fromlike minute one you're like, Oh
my God, it's from those things, right?
Yeah. And it's like the the villain
has to be like extra villainous and the the girl has to be like
(03:36):
almost angelic. So she.
Is no, there is. No, like nuance, forget nuance,
but there is no like depth to the character.
Also, we don't really understandwhy she's behaving in a certain
way or why. I mean, you're it's left your
imagination, right? Is it like upbringing?
Is it like the culture around orwe really know?
(03:57):
Yeah, it felt like essentially that she's never actually had a
relationship or anything, right,Which is why she just like falls
into it. Like it happens almost of her
without her accord. She barely consents to it and
the next morning she's already being labeled the girlfriend.
I'm like, there is a path to this because she has no
experience of whatever like is happening to her.
(04:18):
It's. Almost like she feels like, what
feels good, what feels bad? Why are we putting ourselves
through something that feels bad?
There has to be some, like, motivation to it other than, you
know, you're just stumbling forward in life.
Yeah. It's not like she's like 15
years old, right? It's not like a coming of age
movie that you don't know the first time you're getting these
feelings. These are people who have
completed like their bachelor. This is a master's score, so
(04:38):
they're basically 2122. Possibly they're full grown
adults. Yeah, and especially because the
like the friend, her friend seesthe dude as a red flag, but she
doesn't. So like, I need to at least know
that what is the reason why one person in the same room is
viewing the situation differently and not our
(04:59):
protagonist? Like, where does she come from?
Why? And I mean that would just add a
little more. Like why is she so easily giving
into all of it essentially? Yeah, I mean, there's no
complexity, right? It's almost as if she is like a
zombie. This is happening to me.
OK, let's go along. With it and Torah is a reverse
misogyny wojata and OK you can only like to make a point about
(05:22):
how assertive this person can be.
You have to 1st depict her as Yeah I.
Hate those arcs like they have to like do polar opposites as if
Like there's no middle in her things.
It's not like, do you remember that movie?
I don't know if we did it on thepodcast, that movie in which the
there are two women, one loses her husband and then the
(05:42):
mother-in-law becomes a little weird and there is a flood
happening. The Malayalam.
Movie. I don't think so.
I can't remember this movie at all.
OK, I'm forgetting the name. Anyway, so basically like it
felt like there are real people and that they have like wants
and desires and needs and whatever and complex feelings.
Because she doesn't like her husband, she's engaged in an
affair and the mother-in-law becomes aware of that affair.
(06:05):
But the guy that she's seeing islike a red flag.
We know it, but she doesn't knowit.
So there's a lot of there's a lot of stuff happening here
after like the first five, you know, exactly what's going to
happen. Yeah.
And then it's just a test for patients now one episode, Kava
mota, then Ekor episode should wrote escalate.
And then you're like, OK, so at what point will she snap out of
(06:27):
it is the only question. Yeah, like, this is like
dragging on for no reason. I also didn't like is the fact
that this movie is essentially about a woman trying to escape
and from a man and sort of like,build a life for herself
history, right? Like, have your own viewpoints,
do it for yourself kind of thing.
Like that's what you're trying to push.
And the final straw, like a final straw, like breaks the
(06:48):
camel's back, is not herself. It's not like, oh, you disrupted
me at my play, didn't like say any good things and you made it
about yourself. It's not about my job.
It's not about this, like all ofthat.
It's the fact that finally her father sees them and he goes
berserk. And that's the thing that breaks
her. I'm like, so a woman's breaking
point is another man. Yeah, among the many weird
(07:09):
things that this movie does. It's stupid misstep, right?
If you're making a movie about individuality and the fact that
people should live their own lives and have their own
opinions and like build their own moral center, whatever
worldview, don't do it for another man, no matter if it's
your father. I mean, if she needed to like an
external push, then I don't knowwhat changed.
(07:31):
Like the we don't really need tosee the external push.
We need to see the internal kindof transformation that makes her
receptive to the external push. Yeah, if that makes sense.
So that we don't see like what has changed inside of her that
she's now seeing what she wasn'tseeing earlier.
Yeah, because. She goes through that like her
personal desires, everything is being crushed around her.
(07:51):
Whatever she tries to do, like she really wanted to like do
that art thing on the stage because she's never going to do
it. Like she so like billet around
those things that she's losing her sense of self.
And I would be like, oh, that's great because that's what the
movie is about. But don't do it for like
entirely like, oh, no, I accepted all of this.
I caved in. She caves in after all of that
and she didn't need any exams there.
It's not you. And finally she like what set
(08:14):
breaks her is like Oh no my dad is upset so we can't do this
like I need. To that said, you know, I can
imagine an audience that has only seen mainstream Telugu
movies their entire life watching this and basically
having their minds blown becauseit's not just I don't know about
like real life stuff, but it's also like the film cinema
(08:35):
correspond to real life stuff. The the main character is, I
don't know if he's like a personthat you would actually bump
into, but he's definitely someone that we've seen on
screen. So is the woman, right?
So these are like archetypes more than people.
And for an industry and culture that is so like rooted in
misogyny, especially in cinema, like this could come across as
(08:58):
radical. But like, I don't know, like,
like that's it, right? Very limited group of people.
It's because the point of hit onis worth hitting on doesn't mean
the approach you're taking or the way you're depicting make it
makes it anymore worthwhile. Because the movie is about a
toxic relationship. Yeah.
Like that is the only layer it has.
(09:19):
Like the one thing it's about isthe toxic.
Relationship it's like the volume is fine that it's like,
Oh my God, like the things this guy is doing, they are absurd
and crazy. Like he needs to stop.
Like that's the only thing it isable to like actually hit on the
right note, which most movies will just do the opposite right.
Oh no, he's like he's so sweet. He's like all about you, like
he's devoting himself to you. That's what all most Indian
(09:40):
cinema. He was the male protagonist as
who keeps chasing the woman at least so this movie is able to
see the lens is OK but everything.
Else is good, execution is a little iffy.
I don't know if that's deliberate to kind of speak very
directly to the audience that watches a Kabir Singh or Arjun
Reddy or whatever nonsense, or if it's like that's just the
sensibilities that we're dealingwith.
I don't know that. But then I also thought that
(10:02):
there is a way in which you could have kind of surprised
audiences, but that would have required the movie to end on a
little like shocking or provocative.
Note. I, because recently I watched
this on a documentary CD, is oneof those Netflix things.
I'm forgetting the name. It was about a teenage girl who
gets basically taken hostage in her own house by a jilted lover,
(10:27):
like this much older guy who she'd been dating, who basically
they had a breakup. And the guy enters her house
with, like, ammunition and weapons and says that I'm going
to die. I don't care.
I'm going to hold you here and let the world know that what you
did to me was wrong. And basically there was like a
siege for days when the police negotiated outside.
(10:50):
The whole community has shown upoutside the apartment building.
All of that is happening. And then after a couple of days,
like the news, people are talking to the bystanders.
And all the bystanders are like,but Sacha Pyar to Heina Dekho,
you know? Which is essentially what is
happening like with this the last third year, right?
Like Vicky goes crazy because he's like, how dare you break up
with me now? I'm going to make your life like
(11:10):
hell forever, not like for a fewdays, and I'll get over it
forever. Yeah, so it's fully like those.
It has to go in that direction where the guy wants to take
revenge. But then in the documentary
which is based on a realized thing, the dude kills the girl
you know which is then like. There are enough movies about
that in India too, because that is a reality here.
Yeah, the acid paying the thing.And that's when the public kind
(11:34):
of realizes, oh, this was not love.
This was like a deranged person.Yeah, like.
What was okay with it is like when she's actually had her
lowest just before that festivaland she's she's wiped away all
of that on her door and she finally, like, you know,
basically could not be at beyondanything at this point.
And then she calls her dad againbecause she's like, please pick
(11:55):
up. I hopefully, like, you know,
someone will pick me from this like life, which is like
completely shattered. And he does finally pick up and
then he becomes an call on the call complete call does not like
care what she's going through, does not even ask.
Basically victim blames the entire time, fully misogynist,
chauvinistic and says do not like speak to me ever again.
(12:18):
Right. But is that deliberate?
Is the movie also saying like she's grown up in that
environment where the person or is that just?
No, no, I get that. Like if you want to portray the
culture sack fully on board like, you know, like parents and
there are enough like fathers like this in India.
I'm sure like honor killing is athing in India for one reason
after all. What I don't get then is that
she go flips, right? That's basically like what like
(12:39):
pushes her into like crazy territory, which is why she does
what she does for the next 10 minutes.
But then in the epilogue, without telling us what
happened, she's calling the dad again.
And I'm like. What is that?
That thing right? Our country, I feel like is
built around women catering to men.
That is a sad reality of like women getting.
Worried I'm wondering if it was deliberate even or if the movie
(13:02):
is not even clocking that it's making this misstep.
Yeah, he's not making that misstep at all.
Like I need a scene where the dad figures out what he's done
is terrible. What he said on the call and he
apologizes that he never happens.
The women is expected to give the man automatically, Yeah.
I mean, it's going from one toxic relationship to another,
right? Yeah, she had presumably been
so. Vicky's out of her life, but the
(13:23):
dad is not. He is still that person.
And I don't know if he's apologized or if they ever sat
down, but she is checking on himabout his heart condition and
stuff. I'm like, why are you doing
this? Sequel Sequel May Hoga Dad daddy
issues their daughter. Their daughter?
Yeah, Then the wife. Yeah, like this is, this is the
reality of being a woman in India, right?
You just like entire life is different.
(13:45):
Decades of dealing with different toxic men.
Yeah. You are always like somebody
else's wife, daughter, sister, etcetera.
You're not like Bhuma. It's kinda Bhuma, yeah.
The final movie will be called Bhuma.
After you have detached yourselffrom every man, you have finally
become a cat lady and you're like screw all the Indian men.
I am now Bhuma. You have become, yeah, you have
finally found, found who you areand you have become your.
(14:08):
Own thing 70 years and they'll be like Oh my God my life is
over. This is the greatest experiment
in cinema history. You're welcome.
I mean. Yeah, Rashwika should prepare
this character like, you know, the boyhood thing for like ages
now, every decade she needs to make one movie about this.
Boomaka kya kar riyaavi. Then then at the end of her and
30 years, 40 years from now, I can be like, yes, Rashwika, now
(14:28):
we can forget that you did animal and justified it.
Aditabtakosin. She must have done 15 animals
more. That is the sad reality for
India is because he'll always have one girlfriend and we'll
have 20 animals ratio wise. Yeah.
So overall, yeah, pretty. I understand why people are
appreciating it. I appreciate like you said, like
I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't appreciate like just the
(14:50):
movie making. Yeah, yeah.
Like this happens to be a lot oftimes.
I remember this happened last year also.
You know, people keep crying every time you know that.
Why do people keep giving money to terrible movies Like every
year if you look at the top grossing ones, the chart is
filled with like Kantaras and Chavas and all of whatnot
nonsense every year. Why no?
Why does no one go watch independent cinema?
And then they'll give you an example, right, of some
independent cinema to watch. Let's everyone's been ignoring
(15:12):
and then they'll die on a hill of a movie that is not even
worth watching. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Which is this? So like last year was like it
was super boy from Malaga and I'm like, no, please do not die
on this. Hill Super Boy is a Malaga.
It was this year. Dude, oh, it was this year.
Oh my God. It feels like forever ago, but
OK, I think you're right. This was this year, just very
early this year. No, last year was La Pata
ladies. Yeah, I'm like, just stop dying
(15:33):
on the hill of these movies, man.
Like you want to like super argue or see find at least
someone better thing like you know like say make a video on
homebound don't make it around supervisor the.
Malaga, our homebound, is also apparently too on the nose for
certain people, which is what I'm seeing online.
Oh my God, I'm over it. I don't know where like the
camera zooms into the cracked heels of that Lady was like, oh,
(15:57):
it's a little too on the nose. I don't supposed to be that.
But yeah, like, please do not tell me that you know, we're
watching the raw movies and thenmention the movies called Malaga
and Girlfriend. No thanks.
Yeah, yeah. Is the same as you know what are
underrated Indian movies for youand somebody will say Tamasha or
something Like what? Yeah, it's like a lacking,
really, like really, really lacking things.
(16:18):
Yeah, yeah, this. Is, like, annoying on an
entirely different level. Yeah, but ultimately the goal of
this podcast is to just make us annoyed.
That I think we knew the moment we did like Bill bitch or as the
first episode like we started with the pandemic at where like
I think that mind the state of mind that will never leave us
with always She stuck there in that depression right time to
(16:41):
laptop. Yeah, as hard for this episode
of the long tech. You can follow us on Facebook
threads, YouTube and Instagram at the long tech bot.
You can write to us at the long techbot@gmail.com.
Please leave us a rating and a review where episode and they
will see you next week. Thanks for listening.
Bye.
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