Is women empowerment the same as sexual empowerment? Of course not. Can there be women empowerment without sexual empowerment? Probably not. But given that even in this age and time, the slightest talk about a woman’s sexuality makes for an uncomfortable conversation, proves that society still has a long way to go, be it sexual expression or women’s rights. But Dolly, Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare gives us a ray of hope.
Radha aka Dolly and Kajal aka Kitty are cousins. Dolly has a well-settled life - a loving husband Amit, two wonderful sons, a government job, a dream home in Noida… what else does a woman need right?
And then there Kitty, who comes from Darbhanga to Noida, with dreams of making a living in the city. She stays with her Dollydi, but the uncomfortable advances of Amit force her to take up a PG accommodation. She also takes up a job in a call centre that provides ‘romantic companionship’ phone services. But there is no escaping the sleazy men, be it on the city streets or her phone clients.
Dolly is not happy with her sister’s choice of job, but she has her own issues to deal with; her non-existent sex life with her husband, her son with gender identity issues and the financial burden of a new house.
But then in the darkest of nights, the stars shine bright. And Dolly and Kitty seem to find their stars in Osman Ansari and Pradeep. And then there are nights when the darkness engulfs even the stars. The same happens in the lives of the two sisters as well. Everything seems to fall apart. However, Dolly and Kitty discover their North Star which sets them on a path of hope and would probably lead them to a life of ‘chamakte sitare’!
The Performances
Konkona Sensharma is absolutely amazing. She makes Dolly real and believable in every frame. A worried mother, the frustrated wife, an angry daughter, a jealous sister, a deprived woman… she makes every facet of Dolly interesting and relatable. Bhumi Pednekar gives a strong performance. As Kitty manoeuvres through the men, it is uncomfortable to watch. But then that is what so many women in this country face. And Bhumi does a solid job of taking us through that discomfort. Aamir Bashir as Amit, Vikrant Massey as Pradeep and Amol Parasher as Osman do wonderful jobs. The rest of the cast which includes Kubbra Sait, Karan Kundra and Neelima Azim, provide strong support.
The Creators
With Lipstick Under My Burkha, Alankrita Shrivastava proved that she knows her women characters and can present them really well. And she does the same with Dolly and Kitty. Is this a better film than Lipstick? Probably not. But yes, it ends on a much more hopeful note. The look and feel of this film remind us of Lipstick…, in fact, there are quite a few scenes that seem to be a subtle reference to that film. The story of Dolly and Kitty is strong, but it is some of the other subplots that distract. They have been used to make some strong points, but somehow seem to drag the pace of the narrative. But since this is on an OTT platform, these parts can be skipped without missing out on the story.
So go on, give Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare a watch. Women, watch it with your sisters, daughters, girlfriends... it will not disappoint.
Streaming now on Netflix
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