Daily Recco, January 18: Tribhanga - the alluring asymmetrical start to your week

We are all products of our past. And our past begins with our childhood and in the cases of most, with our parents, guardians or caretakers. We respond differently to the vagaries of our lives depending on how our formative years were. And it is this tale, told through the perspective of three women   — products of three generations — that Tribhanga — Tedhi Medhi Crazy (released on January 15, 2021) is all about.

The plot revolves around three women — Nayantara 'Nayan' Apte (Tanvi Azmi), Anuradha 'Anu' Apte (Kajol) and Masha Apte (Mithila Palkar) — who form a dysfunctional family of Nayan being Anu’s mother and Masha being her the daughter. The women are everything you expect them not to be. From their unconventional lifestyles and life choices to their interaction with the society, these three women challenge every stereotype in your head about generational perspectives. For instance, Nayan is an acclaimed writer, a single mother to Anu and someone who enjoys her alcohol. Anu is an acclaimed Odissi dancer and a Bollywood actor — someone who is as a complex product of her complex mother. Anu finds her succour in her cigarettes and spews the choicest of expletives before you know what hit you. And then comes the youngest of the Aptes — Masha. Masha marries into an orthodox family and lives her life as a docile housewife. And this she does to escape her past, trying to lead as “normal” a life as she possibly can — something she was deprived of while growing up.

The danseuse beautifully describes each one of them in the dance vocabulary — Nayan is Abhanga — the off-centre pose or the eccentric genius. Her daughter, Masha, is Samabhanga, or the balanced pose with perfect symmetry and represents the balance of their lives. She is the poised Ms Goody-two-shoes wearing her pallu before answering Mummyji’s calls. Anu describes herself as Tribhanga, the pose with three bends at varying angles — irregular yet captivating.

Renuka Shahane's debut Hindi directorial is among the best women-centric stories of recent times. It has all the ingredients in the right proportion: from drama to a strong message, great acting and brilliant direction.

Watch Tribhanga on Netflix for the (a)symmetrical start to your week.

Also read: Angrezi Medium with Irrfan