Burqa - The Forbidden Conversation

Meera Chithirapavai 

Sarjun KM’s Burqa is a thought-provoking conversational film starring Mirnaa & Kalaiarasan in the lead. The film is available to watch on Aha - OTT platform. A conversational genre is a minor genre where a long conversation between limited characters takes the centre stage and forms the crux of the film. Is the conversation between Najma (Mirnaa) and Suriya (Kalaiarasan) enticing enough?

Najmaa, a young Muslim widow suffers under the religious practice of confinement, “Iddah” as she grieves the loss of her newly wedded husband. Mirnaa is challenged to convey a lot of her character’s emotions through the Burqa. Her eyes and body language are compelled to do most parts of the job. Her character’s journey slowly gets inclusive in a way that the viewer starts to travel alongside her.

Suriya played by Kalaiarsan is natural and believable from the get-go. His style and proceedings feel familiar. Kalai manages to add his flavor to the character and saves it from becoming a misfit.  Why is “misfit” a probability? Because one tiny expression that crosses the line could make his character weird or creepy. In popular terms, it’s safe to say that Kalai knows his meter and delivers it on point.

Apart from the two major characters that appear during 95% of the runtime of the film, the conversation that the two characters have is the obvious hero of the film. The core intention of the writing is laser sharp and good. The film tirelessly touches upon many forbidden concepts and evokes thoughtfulness without becoming preachy. Boldly exposing the ill ideologies of society against women & humanity, the film rips off the conservative mindset’s “Burqa” by leaving no space for it to hide.

The metaphorical contrast in visuals, props, character blocking, and the scene setup shows the effort that’s gone behind making this a gripping watch.

Despite all these positives, the film struggles with coherence. The writer has had a bunch of important debates/topics to present but has struggled to move from one space to another smoothly. The segues could have been planned in a better manner. The upside and the downside of having so much to say but having few resources to explore.

The decision to explore the variety of two shots (a frame where two subjects are placed) to ensure there is no monotony in the scene setup is appreciable. The sequence in which the makers consciously break the 180 rule showcases their confidence and appetite to convincingly break the grammar.

The cinematography though powerful uses lighting schemes opportunistically. When an entire film happens in one location, the source & intensity of the light can help the viewer understand the timestamp of each scene. In Burqa, the lighting is haywire and challenges the concept of continuity. A lot has been compromised for the sake of “frame beauty”.

All other technical aspects like edit, and music do not stand out which could be a good thing for a film of this as the content of the conversation is got to be the only show stealer.

Overall, Buqa through its crisp runtime has many important and open questions for the conservatives. The film in many instances reminds you of Sarjun’s popular short film, Lakshmi. The film does not end the way a typical viewer would expect because Burqa is not your happily ever after. The film is a trigger into the realm of the expressive behavior of the society.

Burqa - 3/5