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Chained To My Bully Stepbrother (AI Vertical BL Drama)

By Golu
This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat.  The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...
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Nagarkirtan (Bengali) [The Eunuch & the Flute Player]

By Golu
This multiple award winning Bengali film is a movie that is powerful on one hand and sensitive on the other, a scathing commentary on the life of transgenders in contemporary Indian society on one hand and a beautiful love story on the other. No India film yet has so beautifully captured the essence and soul of transgenders and eunuchs in such a detailed and sensitive way. The film reiterates that love has no gender.

The film is constantly told in 2 parallel timelines. The timelines change in the second half. Madhu is a Chinese food delivery boy who also plays flute in various religious kirtans across the city. Then we have Puti, who is transgender and he lives in eunuch community. The 2 meet, there is attraction and they fall in love much to the anger of the leader Guru-ma. Madhu and Puti decide to run away to another city to seek guidance from a successful transgender who was able to turn her life around and is a very respected school principal. They get good guidance on the sex change operation but they both realize that it will be a long time before they can save any amount of money to get that surgery. Madhu decides to take Puti to his hometown for few days but eventually her secret is out to the family and Puti runs away. Through parallel timelines we learn a bit more of Puti's  (born as Parimal) background. He has always been aware of being trapped in a wrong body and liked to dress up as female. How he loved a man but was heartbroken after his love decides to marry his sister. This is when he took the drastic step of leaving home and joining eunuchs. Back to present, Puti gets arrested by police after the local group of eunuchs beat him up for pretending to be them, while he is still a complete man. The ending leaves you shocked and heart broken for the loving couple.

This film is the naked soul of two people who are desperate to seek happiness in a world that won't even allow them a place to live peacefully. The film takes us deep into the world of transgenders and their hearts and gives us an unforgiving glimpse into their plight, a sight that we cannot un-see. There is so much love in the couple. Madhu is confused about his love for the woman he sees trapped in a man's body and is ready to do anything for his love. He protects her constantly with the embrace she deserves and demands. You just cannot ignore the superb performances from its leads. The exceptionally talented Riddhi Sen (who rightfully earned the National award for his performance) plays Parimal as a caged bird knowing it cannot fly. So complete and convincing is the actor's transformation into a gender-transferred entity that on several occasions you wonder is he is actually into crossdressing. At no point you feel that this is an act. it is so real and genuine and a beautiful tribute. This is a performance worth every applaud. and you cannot neglect actor playing Madhu. His confusion, despair, love is forever all on his sleeve and is ready to fight for his love at every opportunity with society, family and anyone else who comes in their way. I am not sure if the english title of the film is appropriate. Puti is not eunuch. He is transgender and looking for a means to become a complete woman but the path she choses is through the group of eunuchs. There are plenty of scenes in the film that make you think deep into your psyche of how you at some point as individual treated eunuchs. The director and maker of the film deserve applause for tackling a taboo topic and giving it the maturity it deserves.

Nagarkirtan is a must watch for its rare performances. It's a very emotional love story at the core devoid of any kind of melodrama. The non-linear structure initially gets time to get used to but eventually works to the advantage. Bengali films are way ahead of their times and quality of cinema that mainstream India films can offer. Be patient, it is slow but this film will reward you with an almost perfect film. (8.5/10)
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