Story
The
film
begins
with
the
shot
of
a
desktop
whose
wallpaper
features
the
three
leading
ladies-
a
multiple
award-winning
novelist
Nayan
(Tanvi
Azmi),
her
actress-daughter
Anuradha
Apte
aka
Anu
(Kajol)
and
her
granddaughter
Masha
(Mithila
Palkar).
A
man
starts
typing
something
on
the
keyboard,
and
we
step
into
the
'tedhi
medhi
crazy' world
of
Tribhanga.
The
scene
shifts
to
Nayan
who
is
trying
to
write
something
on
the
cover
of
an
envelope
with
her
quivering
hands,
while
the
same
man
is
seen
capturing
her
on
his
camera.
We
soon
learn
that
this
man
is
Milan
Upadhyay,
a
shuddh
Hindi-spouting
guy
who
has
been
engaged
by
Nayan
to
pen
her
autobiography.
Elsewhere,
a
nervous
but
visibly
excited
Anu
is
gearing
up
for
her
Odissi
dance
stage
performance.
Her
dance
recital
gets
interrupted
when
she
learns
that
her
estranged
mother
Nayan
has
been
comatose
after
suffering
a
brain
stroke.
She
immediately
rushes
to
the
hospital
with
her
daughter
Masha.
After
taking
a
swipe
at
the
reporters
gathered
outside
the
hospital,
Anu
heads
to
the
room
where
Nayan
has
been
admitted,
gives
the
most
unsympathetic
reaction
and
says,
"Perfect.
She's
in
a
silent
zone."
Slowly
through
a
series
of
flashbacks,
we
get
a
closer
peek
into
the
lives
of
these
two
feisty,
non-conformist
women
who
never
shied
away
from
making
their
own
choices
even
if
it
came
with
a
huge
price
to
be
paid.
Direction
In
one
of
her
interviews,
Renuka
Shahane
had
mentioned
that
it
took
her
six
years
to
script
Tribhanga,
and
after
watching
the
film,
one
understands
the
reason
behind
the
same.
Tribhanga
is
not
one
of
your
regular
dysfunctional
family
stories.
When
was
the
last
time
you
saw
a
female
protagonist
gusty
enough
to
describe
marriage
as
'social
terrorism'?
It's
brave
of
Shahane
to
steer
clear
of
excessive
melodrama
to
invoke
emotions
in
the
audience.
Slowly
as
we
peel
the
layers
of
the
director's
work,
we
see
her
challenging
the patriarchal and
regressive
mindset,
and
creating
female
characters
who
are
unapologetic
about
the
choices
that
they
have
made
in
their
lives.
Renuka's
characters
are
far
from
being
pitch-perfect,
but
that's
exactly
what
makes
them
relatable.
You
realize
that
a
mother
can
be
wrong,
but
that
doesn't
make
her
love
less.
When
a
character
in
the
film
is
asked
to
talk
about
one
of
his
memorable
moments
from
his
childhood,
he
replies,
"Saare
hi
pal
yaadgaar
hai.
Acche
bhi,
bure
bhi.
Everything
is
precious." Just
like
that,
Renuka
Shahane's
Tribhanga
has
its
heart
in
the
right
place
irrespective
of
a
few
bumps.
Performances
Kajol
essays
the
role
of
a
controversial
Bollywood
actress
with
an
acid-sharp
tongue,
whose
tangled
feelings
for
her
mother
harbours
from
her
rocky
childhood.
The
actress
is
an
absolute
hoot
in
the
scene
in
which
she
tries
to
explain
her
interpretation
of
a
cuss
word
to
Kunal
Roy
Kapur's
character
Milan.
In
a
similar
way,
she
also
leaves
you
teary-eyed
when
a
scene
is
high
on
emotions.
Her
process
of
dealing
with
grief
and
difficult
emotions
is
elevated
with
some
shining
writing.
For
those
who
don't
know,
'Tribhanga' in
Odissi
dance
form
means
'three
bends."
The
posture
can
be
alluring,
loving,
sensuous,
motherly
depending
on
the
mood
of
the
dance
and
the
character
being
portrayed.
Just
like
Kajol's
character
in
the
film.
Having
a
seasoned
actor
like
Tanvi
Azmi
is
a
huge
win
for
Renuka
Shahane
as
the
veteran
performer
pulls
off
a
flawless
act
even
when
her
character
is
lying
still
on
the
hospital
bed.
Shweta
Mehendale
who
plays
the
younger
Nayan,
gives
an
honest
performance.
Mithila
Palkar
gets
a
little
less
screen
time
than
Kajol
and
Tanvi
Azmi.
But
the
youngster,
still
manages
to
make
a
mark.
My
favourite
scene
is
the
one
where
she
visits
her
grandfather.
Trust
me,
it
leaves
you
with
a
lump
in
your
throat!
Speaking
about
the
men
in
the
film,
Kunaal
Roy
Kapur
stumbles
a
bit
when
it
comes
to
playing
the
Hindi-speaking
biographer.
Manav
Gohil
and
Kanwaljeet
Singh
play
their
roles
well
even
when
the
film
lets
the
three
ladies
do
all
the
talking.
Technical
Aspects
Baba
Azmi
fares
well
when
it
comes
to
the
camera
work.
Be
it
the
flashback
scenes
or
the
present
ones,
the
man
has
a
efficacious
grip
on
his
lenses.
Speaking
about
the
editing,
a
stronger
hold
on
the
scissors
would
have
saved
the
film
from
dragging
a
bit
at
places.
Music
Thankfully,
Renuka
Shahane
doesn't
insert
unnecessary
songs
in
her
narrative
which
would
have
otherwise
broken
the
flow
of
the
film.
The
film's
background
score
goes
well
with
the
theme.
Verdict
"Yunhi
baithe
baithe
soch
rahi
thhi
kya
ab
bhi
koi
jeena
baaki
hai.
Hai
abhi
bhi
bahut
peena
baaki
hai." With
her
sweet-and-salty
take
on
imperfect
mothers
and
difficult
daughters,
Renuka
Shahane
has
made
a
promising
debut
as
a
filmmaker
when
it
comes
to
Hindi
cinema.
It
would
be
interesting
to
watch
what
the
director
has
in
store
for
us
when
she
wields
the
megaphone
next
time.