Alankrita Shrivastava once again foregrounds women’s sexuality in the Netflix original, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare

Nonika Singh

Reaching out for the stars… We all try to grab that fistful of stardust. Only in Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, Alankrita Shrivastava gives it a new spin and reminds us — all that glitters is not starry enough. Yet, we, especially the fair sex, are entitled to our share of happiness. The gutsy writer-director, who served us the brave and bold Lipstick Under My Burkha a few years ago, once again foregrounds woman’s sexuality and takes us on roads less travelled — where women demand their piece of flesh, literally and metaphorically.

Here the story primarily rests with Dolly and Kitty who happen to be cousins. To begin with, Dolly, a working wife with two sons, comes across as a shallow person pretending to be someone she is not. But that is only the surface. Scratch it and beneath lies a dis-satisfied woman trying to navigate her way through her unfulfilled life. Kitty is, well, actually Kajal (Bhumi Pednekar). Kitty is a pseudonym she acquires in a call centre where she seduces men over the phone. Alankrita takes the bull by the horns and brings to you phone sex unflinching and un-squirming, making you squirm alright. Apart from the issue at hand, she also weaves in an interesting story and characters.

But Alankrita is not viewing them through rose-tinted glasses. Set in Noida where young girls like Kajal land in pursuit of a new world, the setting is unerringly close to reality.

However, before you think the director bites more than what can be chewed, she does wrap it all very well. Surely, some things like the liaison with the delivery boy are written on the wall from the moment he makes an appearance. But there are surprise elements as well, in the way Vikrant Massey’s character unfolds. The acts of vandalism, the public shaming of couples and destruction of works of art created by women centring around sexuality may seem political, but perhaps come from a personal space too.

In case, you have forgotten, Alankrita had a long run-in with former censor board chief, the sanskari Pahlaj Nihalani, before her earlier film could find a theatrical release. This time airing on Netflix, she needn’t fear the scissors. Though packed with sex-rated scenes, the idea is not to titillate, only to make a forceful point. As it says, “Kuch raaste galat nahi alag hote hain…”

Giving stars to a film that challenges the very notion of star-rating is a tough call! There is such a clever metaphor in chamakte sitare… Wish we could match it. Since we can’t, we go with the simpler way out — a three-star rating!