Anurag Kashyap is one of the leading Indian directors, who always portrays realism in a raw and gritty way more informal than other Bollywood films. With this kind of approach, Anurag has successfully created a cult-like status for himself. Even though his recent films are more straightforward than his early work, one can’t deny his ability as a director. During some of his more successful Bollywood endeavors (the post “Gangs of Wasseypur” era), he attempted bold, offbeat films like “No Smoking,” “Dev D” and “Gulaal.” Though these films gained a cult status over time, his 2010 directorial venture “That Girl in Yellow Boots” went quite unnoticed by the audience.
In my opinion, “That Girl in Yellow Boots” is Kashyap’s most niche film to date. Kashyap admitted that he made this film to find an audience for his films in the foreign markets, so this film has that festival film wrapping. But still, it has that certain rawness without compromise in its core that does not diminish his work or cater to a certain kind of audience.
Shot in just 13 days with a 7D DSLR camera, “That Girl in Yellow Boots” tells the story of Ruth, a British girl of Indian descent. After receiving a letter from her abandoned father, she sets for a quest to find him in the ‘City of Dreams,’ Mumbai. But it is not easy for her, as the city is filled with lies and deceit that cause her to struggle to find her own independence. She soon becomes lost in the underbelly of the city itself.
Shot in various dark gloomy apartments of Mumbai, the cinematography sets the mood of the film and contextualizes the claustrophobic environment around our protagonist, Ruth (Kalki Koechlin). With handheld camera shots and shot mostly in natural light, Kashyap’s style elevates the storytelling visually with its mise-en-scène.
Kalki Koechlin, who plays the lead role of Ruth, also co-wrote the screenplay for the film. She stated much of her character is loosely based on her experience as a White girl growing up in India. Whites are seen with curved eyes by society, and for that they quite alienate themselves from it. And this is not only to the White women; this is faced by every woman living in this male dominated society. So, here Ruth is not so much an individual; she represents a whole community and their existential crisis in a world dominated by patriarchy and objectification.
From the first scene, Kashyap portrays this situation with the objectifying behaviors of government officials towards Ruth. It sets the film’s entire scope; and this scope becomes uglier as the film progresses.
As a lead actor, Kalki nails in the role of Ruth. She gets the role under her skin; it never seems she is trying to act, but rather she reacts believably to situations depicted in the film. Alongside her, Prashant Prakash as her loving yet abusive boyfriend also gives a memorable performance; he pulls off the role in a manner that showcases the entirety of dysfunctional dynamics within the troubled relationship.
Gulshan Devaiah also stars, playing a quirky South Indian gangster and brings comic relieve to this uneasy ride. But in my opinion, his character has nothing significant to do in the entire film. Naseeruddin Shah also plays a small role in the film that gives a sense of needed optimism. But the character seems too distant to me, and he is not as not much space is given to him. I believe this is an artistic decision, as it symbolizes that there are many people who takes advantage of people in this world, but few who actually cares for us in the real world.
“That Girl in Yellow Boots” is not withough criticism, though. While a captivating film with the elements of a mystery/thriller, it lags some due to inconsistencies in the screenplay. This is especially true in the middle portion of the film where it feels stagnant and repetitive at times. But thankfully in the final act the screenplay pulls back on track and ends on a disturbing note.
“That Girl in Yellow Boots” is not an easy film to watch and shatters you internally. It talks about the identity and objectification of women in a male dominated world through Ruth’s ruthless quest into the labyrinth of the society. The end is like a slap on the face as *spoilers* Ruth leaves in a taxi, hanging up her yellow boots. And we, like all the people in the crowded road, look onto that as a bystander afflicted by apathy.
*”That Girl in Yellow Boots” is currently available to stream via subscription on Google Play, iTunes, Kanopy, and YouTube.
