Introduction –
Bagulbua is a short film that revolves around a profound relationship and the uncanny ability of a mother at deciphering her child’s fears and needs. Bagulbua aka Bugbear also known as hobgoblin is an imaginary creature of dread or apprehension exploited by mothers when mischievous kids disobey. However, this film is contrary to the said premise.
Synopsis –
The film opens up with a child ( Rajveer Borkar ), around 2-years old, running down a dusty path between the fields. The scene immediately shifts to the same child waking up from sleep. He spends the entire day in the warmth of his mother’s ( Veena Jamkar ) love. As the day evolves into night, she switches on the light only to see the bulb burst into pieces. She then lights up a handmade oil lamp even as she is summoned by her neighbor. Left alone in the small room, the child sees his own shadow, his dark reflection on the opposite wall grow bigger as he follows his mother.
Scared, he wails and calls out. When his mother walks back the child insists on getting out of the house but doesn’t tell her the reason as he is too young to understand the principle of shadows. The child continues to appear scared. Unable to interpret her son’s behavior, his fear, the mother continues with her chores, consoling her son at the same time.
Later, when the kid beckons her she walks into the room. She sees her shadow stretch along the floor, heading towards the child. The expression on her son’s face reveals the reason for his earlier apprehension. She smiles, repositions the lamp and then using a white cloth / fabric she creates shapes and animations using her hand and fingers. The film ends with the child having overcome the fear for shadows.
Analysis –
Budding cinematographers can learn a lot from this film vis-à-vis lighting effects. In fact the entire film is based on creative lighting technique. Credit goes to the cinematographer for having successfully accomplished a tough goal and kudos to the director for extracting the right expressions and emotions from the child. Veena Jamkar is excellent in the role of a mother. The script has minimum dialog which is okay as it suits the theme while the overall momentum, perfect. Films like Bagulbua rely on cinematography and background score, and Saket Kanetkar’s musical notes literally gave us goose bumps.
2022 Manoj Bapat Manoj Bapat 16 Minutes Vimeo