Bhumika
1977·Drama·2h 16m
7.1
★
In a world that both glamorizes and patronizes her, a successful film star begins to unravel under the weight of the roles imposed upon her, drifting between studios and her personal life as she spirals into an identity crisis.
Directed by Shyam Benegal
IMDB
N/A
Cast
Smita Patil
Usha
Amol Palekar
Keshav Dalvi
Anant Nag
Rajan
Sulabha Deshpande
Shanta
Amrish Puri
Vinayak Kale
Naseeruddin Shah
Sunil Verma
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Harilal
Kiran Vairale
Sushma Dalvi
B.V. Karanth
Usha's Father
Dina Pathak
Mrs. Kale
Rekha Sabnis
Mrs. Yashwant Kale
Mohan Agashe
Siddharth
Crew
Shyam Benegal
Director
Girish Karnad
Screenplay
Satyadev Dubey
Screenplay
Shyam Benegal
Screenplay
Satyadev Dubey
Dialogue
Vanraj Bhatia
Music
Govind Nihalani
Cinematography
Shama Zaidi
Art Direction
Kalpana Lajmi
Costume Assistant
Popular Reviews
3 reviews
Adil Sayyad
8.0★ · 06/04/24
Bring this kind of cinema back—a film which tells so much without relying on any gimmicks or theatrics.
Bhumika tells the tale of an actress, Usha (Smita Patil), who has to deal with a patriarchal society while trying to find happiness and fulfilment.
Smita Patil is wonderful in this film. I haven't explored much of classical Indian cinema. So I am completely ignorant of Smita Patil's acting prowess. But she completely delivers and believably transforms herself from a young naive teenager to a beaten-down mother.
Shyam Bengal's script has a lot to tell about a woman's place in society and whether can she create her own life in a patriarchal setting. Usha never does anything out of her volition but rather has roles thrust upon her by conditions beyond her control, whether it be her mother, her husband or her employer.
I liked how the passage of time was showcased. It doesn't rely on lazy timecards. Instead, we find out the time through radio broadcasts. We get to hear about historical events which gives us an indication of how much time has passed.
Bhumika tells the tale of an actress, Usha (Smita Patil), who has to deal with a patriarchal society while trying to find happiness and fulfilment.
Smita Patil is wonderful in this film. I haven't explored much of classical Indian cinema. So I am completely ignorant of Smita Patil's acting prowess. But she completely delivers and believably transforms herself from a young naive teenager to a beaten-down mother.
Shyam Bengal's script has a lot to tell about a woman's place in society and whether can she create her own life in a patriarchal setting. Usha never does anything out of her volition but rather has roles thrust upon her by conditions beyond her control, whether it be her mother, her husband or her employer.
I liked how the passage of time was showcased. It doesn't rely on lazy timecards. Instead, we find out the time through radio broadcasts. We get to hear about historical events which gives us an indication of how much time has passed.
Bring this kind of cinema back—a film which tells so much without relying on any gimmicks or theatrics.
Bhumika tells the tale of an actress, Usha (Smita Patil), who has to deal with a patriarchal society while trying to find happiness and fulfilment.
Smita Patil is wonderful in this film. I haven't explored much of classical Indian cinema. So I am completely ignorant of Smita Patil's acting prowess. But she completely delivers and believably transforms herself from a young naive teenager to a beaten-down mother.
Shyam Bengal's script has a lot to tell about a woman's place in society and whether can she create her own life in a patriarchal setting. Usha never does anything out of her volition but rather has roles thrust upon her by conditions beyond her control, whether it be her mother, her husband or her employer.
I liked how the passage of time was showcased. It doesn't rely on lazy timecards. Instead, we find out the time through radio broadcasts. We get to hear about historical events which gives us an indication of how much time has passed.
Bhumika tells the tale of an actress, Usha (Smita Patil), who has to deal with a patriarchal society while trying to find happiness and fulfilment.
Smita Patil is wonderful in this film. I haven't explored much of classical Indian cinema. So I am completely ignorant of Smita Patil's acting prowess. But she completely delivers and believably transforms herself from a young naive teenager to a beaten-down mother.
Shyam Bengal's script has a lot to tell about a woman's place in society and whether can she create her own life in a patriarchal setting. Usha never does anything out of her volition but rather has roles thrust upon her by conditions beyond her control, whether it be her mother, her husband or her employer.
I liked how the passage of time was showcased. It doesn't rely on lazy timecards. Instead, we find out the time through radio broadcasts. We get to hear about historical events which gives us an indication of how much time has passed.
Chloe Aber
8.5★ · 03/31/25
Debsingha Sirkar
9.2★ · 10/06/21