The men in the female gaze

Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare follows two sisters breaking out of their respective boxes in northern India. Kajal (Bhumi Pednekar) moves in with her cousin, Dolly (Konkona Sensharma). Her independence is brutally tested by life in the big city, but Dolly is quietly supportive. Kajal, in turn, helps Dolly see the complacencies swamping her personal life. As the story progresses, the sisters take up lovers — played by Vikrant Massey and Amol Parashar.

Though peripheral at first, their characters become integral to the protagonists’ journeys. Indian cinema, too, has registered a rise in memorable male supporting turns as more female-driven narratives are made. “We’ve waited far too long for women’s stories to take charge,” says Vikrant, who’d also played the love interest in Chhapaak. “We’ve been outright patriarchal and brushed issues related to women under the carpet. So it’s heartwarming to see people like Alankrita (Shrivastava), Konkona, Zoya (Akhtar), and Reema (Kagti) come out and tell stories that are equally important.

Individually I’m proud to be a part of this change.” Talking about his character in Dolly Kitty — a secretly-married man who befriends Kajal — Vikrant says the film doesn’t judge those who seek out companionship on online apps. “The advent of social media and technology has changed the way we behave. When it comes to platforms where you can interact with the opposite sex, Kajal says she wished such an app also existed for women.

It speaks about the unfair distribution of things in our society. Although there are just as many women as men, their desires are never paid heed to.” The internet also figures into Dolly’s track, when she strikes a friendship with a young delivery boy, Osman. In a jarring scene, Osman is harassed by goons for his Muslim identity. The moment appears to mirror an incident from 2019, where a man refused a Zomato delivery from a Muslim valet.

“This film was shot in 2018 so this event had nothing to do with it,” says Amol, who essays Osman. “Having said that, I feel there’s a universality to that scene. For me, a general bullying culture is anywhere a problem. It can happen to anyone. In Osman’s case, his religious identity only adds to his alienation.” In a completely different scene, Osman, a college-going kid, recites the opening lines of William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence.

He’s just made love to Dolly, and is lolling around in bed in the afternoon haze. The scene, Amol says, fleshes him out as a character — that he is more than just a suppressed young boy. “Often, as actors, we end up narrowing our vision of a part. We don’t see the depths a person can have. That scene brings out a different shade to Osman. It’s just a wholesome way of looking at people.”