Tribhanga

About the film

Tribhanga: Tedhi Medhi Crazy is a 2021 Indian trilingual family drama film written and directed by Renuka Shahane. It was co-produced by Ajay Devgn, Deepak Dhar, and Siddharth P. Malhotra under their production companies Ajay Devgn FFilms, Banijay Asia, and Alchemy Productions, respectively, in association with Parag Desai, Rishi Negi, and Sapna Malhotra. The film stars Kajol, Tanvi Azmi and Mithila Palkar, and revolves around a dysfunctional family of three women and their unconventional life choices.

Shahane got the idea for Tribhanga in 2014 and it was inspired by her relationship with her mother. Principal photography started in October 2019, and it was entirely shot in Mumbai by Baba Azmi. The music was composed by Sanjoy Chowdhury, and the film was edited by Jabeen Merchant. Released on 15 January 2021, the film marked Kajol's debut on Netflix. The film received highly positive reviews, with praises directed towards Shahane's direction and the Kajol's performance.

Plot

Tribhanga follows the journey of three generations of women who interact on a deep level and find out disturbing details of their past when the eldest of the three falls into a coma and her daughter and granddaughter decide to contribute to her autobiography in making.

Nayantara "Nayan" Apte (Nayan) is a celebrated author who cannot write anymore due to her arthritis. She is assisted by Milan, her disciple and an author himself, in writing her autobiography. As she drinks alcohol, Nayan has a stroke and is admitted to the hospital. She is revealed to be comatose and her daughter Anuradha "Anu" Apte, a famous Bollywood actress and Odissi dancer, rushes to the hospital with her own daughter Masha. She is confronted by the media, which she ignores. Anu is irritated by Milan's presence at the hospital, and verbally abuses him. She is assisted by her brother Robindro. Milan overhears the siblings say they hate Nayan for ruining their lives, especially Anu's.

During Anu and Robindro's childhood, Nayan's mother-in-law was annoyed by Nayan writing continuously and refusing to care for her children and husband. This angered Nayan, who left the household with Anu and Robindro. Milan and Masha visit Anu's childhood home and talk to Nayan's ex-husband and his sister, who are both sorrowed by the departure of Anu and Robindro from their lives. Milan asks Masha about her story. Masha is married into a conservative family, but her husband Deepak is deeply supportive of her.

Production

Tribhanga was originally supposed to be a small Marathi film but later turned into a Hindi Netflix original as Kajol and Siddharth P Malhotra got on board. The film was confirmed by director Renuka Shahane in late 2018, and on 10 October 2019 the cast, the crew and the basic plot were announced. Later in 2019, more of the cast announced their involvement in the film, including Vaibhav Tatwawaadi, Manav Gohil and Nishank Verma. Tribhanga is a dance pose in Odissi and its nature is said to represent that of the three leading women in the film, played by Azmi, Kajol and Palkar.

Principal photography commenced on 14 October 2019 and ended on 8 December 2019. The film was shot entirely in Mumbai.

Release

Tribhanga was one of the most-awaited films of 2021. The first look of the film was released on 16 July 2020, and its teaser was released on 1 January 2021. The trailer was released three days later, and positively received by both audiences or critics. Moumita Bhattacharjee of Rediff.com found Kajol's "breakdown or outburst scenes in every [scenes]" to be "something to watch out for", adding, "She goes all out without restraining herself and that enhances the tension perfectly." It was opened on 15 January on Netflix, marking Kajol's digital debut. As the film was released on the platform, no accurate grossing estimation has been made. However, The Indian Express reported that Tribhanga was successful to attract an audience.

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10.

Sonia Chopra of Sify praised the film, "A layered and heart-warming story encompassing three generations of women. Also commendable is how beautifully it portrays real women and humanizes mothers with all their flaws, mistakes, strengths and weaknesses." She was appreciative of the leads' performance, especially Kajol, saying that "... she folds in humour, strength, and empathy in every moment", and described Tanvi Azmi as "masterful". Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India rated the film two-and-a-half stars and stated, "The idea behind the movie is inspirational but ideas aren’t enough unless they make for a riveting viewing experience." Writing for The Hindu, Debasree Purkayastha found Azmi "holds your attention" and felt Palkar was "pleasantly present in the limited screen-time she has". Priyanka Roy of The Telegraph was critical of Palkar, deeming her has "very little to play with, her Masha hardly rising above the character brief on paper".

Shilajit Mitra from The New Indian Express called Kajol the "best part" of Tribhanga, saying that "a typically impetuous actor letting it fly in her digital debut". Hindustan Times' reviewer Soumya Srivastava observed of her: "After watching [the film], one thing is for certain: you may be able to take Kajol out of Bollywood, but you can never take the Bollywood out of her. Channelling pre-makeover Anjali from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) at all times, Kajol makes sure to give her 150% to every scene, even if it requires a far more modest tempo." According to Stutee Ghosh of The Quint, both the actress and Azmi were "the strongest performers [that] have a stunning hold and it's difficult to focus on anyone else when they are in the frame". The critic and author Bhawana Somaaya rated the film three and a half out of five stars, and took note of its "detailed writing, engaging narrative, pace and performances". Writing for The News Minute, Geetika Mantri gave the same rating and believed that the film "deserves praise for showcasing multidimensional women characters and the ways that they can support each other".

Key details