Cinestaan Curates: Khabsurat is a nuanced depiction of patriarchy in our daily lives

Written and directed by Ashutosh Pathak, the short film Khabsurat (Repulsive) examines patriarchy as it bears down upon women. The film stars Naina Sareen and Shardul Bhardwaj and is produced by Vikramaditya Motwane.

Barkha (Naina Sareen) is a young woman from a small town who is trying to make it as a dancer in Mumbai. A seemingly innocent, fun instance of getting her photographs clicked by a friend takes a devious turn when a video of hers start circulating online. Her family finds out and a cousin, Shivang (Shardul Bhardwaj), is sent to control the damage and bring her back home.

Khabsurat skilfully melds together the ways in which patriarchy bears down upon our everyday lives and the limited room that women have to manoeuvre within it. For Barkha, the city offers spaces and opportunities, but experimenting with her own sexuality and body makes her realize that that freedom is, at best, elusive.

The cousin is understanding and helpful but also menacing and imposing. He reminds her, “Your body is not yours alone”, reiterating the age-old notion that a woman’s body is tied to her family’s respectability. In one instance, Barkha mockingly says to him, “OK papa”, reiterating that even though he belongs to her generation, his ideas about a woman’s freedom and sexuality are as antiquated as that of her parents.

Pathak creates an intimate atmosphere between the protagonists, playing with the energy the two share. The performances by Sareen and Bhardwaj are integral to bringing the layered characters alive. Sareen captures Barkha’s vulnerability, the desire to be seen as beautiful, her hesitation and the impulsiveness of her decision with finesse. Barkha is expected to be ashamed, grieving, repentant, but she refuses to be burdened by any of that and tries to reclaim her body.

Bhardwaj, too, gives a fine performance and portrays the dichotomy in his character which understands her youthful abandon but is too steeped within the patriarchal order to comprehend possibilities beyond it.

The short film is being screened as part of the hybrid South Asian Film Festival of Montreal in Canada, which is on from 19 to 28 November. The film can be watched free at the festival’s website.