Bulbul Can Sing

Bulbul Can Sing is a 2018 Indian Assamese-language drama film directed by Rima Das.^[1] It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.^[2] The film centres on three teenagers trying to come to terms with their sexual identities.^[3] The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Assamese at India's 66th National Film Awards.

Bulbul Can Sing
Film poster
Directed by	Rima Das
Written by	Rima Das
Produced by	Flying River Films
Cinematography	Rima Das
Edited by	Rima Das
Music by	Dotora Kabindra Patowary
Release dates	7 September 2018 (2018-09-07) (TIFF) 20 September 2019 (2019-09-20) (India)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	India
Language	Assamese

Plot

Bulbul is a young girl who lives in Kalardiya village near Chaygaon in India's Assam state. She has two best friends, Bonny and Sumu, and they are coming of age and finding their own identities but who they want to be and what their community expects them to be are two different things as they find themselves at odds with the social mores and moral codes of their village. Clashes emerge as Bulbul finds herself experiencing the first glimmers of attraction for a guy, Sumu is bullied for not acting like a traditional man and Bonny finds the pressures of the community unbearable. As fear and doubt assail the three friends, Bulbul must find her own voice and sing.

Cast

• Arnali Das as Bulbul
• Banita Thakuriya as Bonnie
• Manoranjan Das as Suman
• Manabendra Das
• Pakija Begam

Reception

Critical response

Bulbul Can Sing mostly received positive reviews from critics. Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "quietly insightful" which "has a pleasing simplicity and realism",^[4] while Wendy Ide of Screen described it as "a heartfelt, acutely honest portrait of rural Indian adolescence."^[5]

Among Indian critics, Anirudh Bhattacharyya of Outlook felt that with this film director Das had surpassed the expectations raised by her previous directorial Village Rockstars.^[6] According to Sonal Pandya of Cinestaan, Das has matured as a filmmaker with this film and the film's beginning and end were bookended nicely.^[7] Aswathy Gopalakrishnan also praised the film for its subtle take on feminism and patriarchy.^[8]

Accolades

Bulbul Can Sing director Rima Das in 2018

Festival or Award	Category	Recipient(s)/nominee(s)	Result	Ref(s)
66th National Film Awards	Best Feature Film in Assamese	Bulbul Can Sing	Won	[9]
Jio MAMI Film Festival 2018: Golden Gateway	India Gold	Bulbul Can Sing	Won	[10]
29th Singapore International Film Festival: Silver Screen Award	Best Asian Feature Film	Bulbul Can Sing	Nominated	[11]
	Best Performance - Asian Feature Film	Manoranjan Das	Won
2019 Berlin International Film Festival	Special Mention - Generation 14plus	Bulbul Can Sing	Won	[12][13]
13th Asian Film Awards 2019	Best New Director	Rima Das	Nominated	[14]
2019 Dublin International Film Festival	Best Director	Rima Das	Won	[15][16]
2019 Osaka Asian Film Festival	Jury Special Mention	Bulbul Can Sing	Won	[17]
2019 New York Indian Film Festival	Best Director	Rima Das	Nominated	[18][19]
Prag Cine Awards 2019	Best Film	Bulbul Can Sing	Won	[20]
	Best Actor (Female)	Anjali Das	Won
	Best Actor (Male)	Monoranjan Das	Won
	Best Cinematography	Rima Das	Won
	Global Icon Award	Rima Das	Won
2019 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne	Best Indie Film	Bulbul Can Sing	Won	[21]
10th Jagran Film Festival	Best Director	Rima Das	Won	[22]