Freedom means different things to different people. In Tikli and Laxmi Bomb, a group of sex workers fight for the freedom to own their body even as they sell it every night.
Though uneven in texture and treatment, this 150-minute film directed by debutant Aditya Kripalani, feted at festivals worldwide and currently streaming on Netflix, is an empowering watch. Based on Kripalani’s novel called Tikli and Laxmi Bomb, the film adopts a visceral tone to tell the story of Tikli (Chitrangada Chakraborty) and Laxmi (Vibhawari Deshpande) who, fed up of touts and cops who exercise their might — money, muscle and sexual — on them, bring about a mini revolution of sorts. It frees them, albeit temporarily, from the repressed lives they have been conditioned to lead, but ultimately leads them to a gory end.
A sensitive and hard-hitting portrayal of she power, Tikli and Laxmi Bomb starts with a Bengali sex worker called Putul (Chitrangada) joining a brothel in Mumbai, that’s headed by Laxmi. Spunky and ready to call a spade a spade, Putul instantly rebels against the system, urging Laxmi and her gang to work out a model of “business” in which the women call the shots — “hamara body, hamara paisa”. That includes a number of ingenious methods — from cancelling out touts by bribing corporators directly to installing a panic button app on their phones to even starting a “loyalty programme” to retain regular customers. The plan takes off and Putul, now called Tikli, and Laxmi become the leaders of a gang called Tikli and Laxmi Bomb.
Shot on real locations in Mumbai and mostly in the night, the film has a real look and feel. Though it deals with a serious subject, Kripalani does well in treating some scenes with a lightness of touch — you can’t help but smile when the women speed off on a scooter to rescue a co-worker every time the panic app beeps on their phones; Tikli and Laxmi’s interactions over a drink or two at night will also make you chuckle.
Even though it has its heart in the right place, Tikli and Laxmi Bomb is a tad too long, with many scenes playing out in loop. The songs — though inventively picturised and mostly with English lyrics mirroring the dreams of the girls — unnecessarily contribute to the running time.
If the film holds your interest for the most part, then that’s courtesy the performances. Each of the girls is well cast, with Vibhawari Deshpande bringing both sensitivity and steely resolve to Laxmi. The star of the film is Calcutta girl Chitrangada Chakraborty who becomes Putul in walk and talk. Hers is a performance — she handles the emotional scenes as effectively as she does the lighter bits and its fun to watch her swear in Bengali — that will make you smile and also bring a lump to your throat. This is an actor we need to see much more of.
TIKLI AND LAXMI BOMB
Director: Aditya Kripalani
Cast: Vibhawari Deshpande, Chitrangada Chakraborty, Suchitra Pillai, Divya Unny, Upendra Limaye
Running time: 150 minutes
