When a Small Film Spoke Loudly
When the film Badnaam Gali was released on ZEE5 in 2019, it was a pleasant surprise. Badnaam Gali, a film directed by Ashwin Shetty, and starring Patralekhaa and Divyenndu, is a light-hearted social dramedy. Badnaam Gali is also one of the first films to treat the subject of surrogacy and the social stigma that surrenders unorthodox choices women make.
As Badnaam Gali was filled with charming and witty narratives draw from the microcosm of a Delhi colony, it turned out to be a significant film for its actors, particularly Patralekhaa, whose post debut image was predominately glamorous and film industry typecast her as such. Divyenndu also used this role as a bridge from typecast to breakout character as “Liquid” in Pyaar Ka Punchnama and subsequently, Munna Tripathi in Mirzapur.
Such strength and resilience was on full display as Badnaam Gali not only told the story of the misunderstood woman living in a neighborhood full of gossip and the odd social stigma, it also, in a poetic form, told the story of both actors, attempting to change the industry perceptions about the typecasting that surrenders to both of them, and break free from the labels of being misunderstood.
The Woman Risked Calling “Badnaam”
Badnaam Gali features Patralekhaa, an independent, single Delhi resident, and surrogate mother, who plays Noyonika. She enters and explodes the prying “aunties” and “aunties” head and “Badnaam” the “badname.” This sets in motion the comedy and almost satirical commentary on critique: the almost immediate, and swift, problematizing and labeling of Indian society when a woman dares challenge the status quo.
Badnaam Gali certainly broke the “depressive”72 term pattern and fully escaped it. Patralekhaa, emotional and before experiencing a struggle with meaningful and progressive scripts, for the first time, meaningfully and progressively, bordered to the “sad girl” on the “sad girl” “Next Girl” stereotype.
Noyonika isn’t a victim, but someone witty, independent, and unapologetic. Patralekhaa said in interviews she felt the character’s defiance and said, “People are quick to judge. They see a woman living alone, doing something unconventional, and they make stories about her. I’ve faced that in real life too.”
The actress centered the film around her own experiences when it came to society’s obsession with gossip and labeling women. Before their marriage, her relationship with Rajkummar Rao drew a lot of attention, and when it became “respectable,” she felt it was a closure from the tabloids. In many ways, Badnaam Gali became her chance to take back that narrative.
What Changed After the Release
In 2019, digital releases were still new, and so was ZEE5, focusing on local content. With the film’s sense of humor centered around Delhi, community drama, and moral irony, it appealed to the urban population and enhanced the film’s reach for a digital release.
Critics praised Patralekhaa for her natural ease and the empathy she brought to a misunderstood subject. For the first time, casting directors were able to view her as someone who can headline a project, unsustained and uncollaborated with a male lead.
However, the film did not lead to an immediate rise. Patralekhaa even after doing socially relevant films articulated that the industry did not open to her with equal opportunity. However, Badnaam Gali did plant the seed for her reinvention, it gave her the confidence to wait for the right kind of work instead of taking anything that came her way.
It is telling that years after when she did Apharan 2 and Aar Ya Paar, audiences remarked how Badnaam Gali had made them fans of her underplayed strength. It had quietly turned into one of those films that appreciated more with time especially as the conversations around women’s choices and bodily autonomy became more pronounced in India.
Divyenndu’s Middle-Class Magic.
For Divyenndu, Badnaam Gali came at an interesting juncture. He was already a recognizable face, adored as the heartbroken friend in Pyaar Ka Punchnama and the quirky sidekick in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. But just as audiences began to pigeonhole him as the comic relief, Mirzapur exploded onto Amazon Prime.
In the same year, he was cast in Badnaam Gali, where he played the character Randeep Singh — an uncomplicated, slightly orthodox, and traditional fellow who relocates to Delhi, and eventually rents a room in Noyonika’s house. It is through his perspective that the viewers’ audience witness the conflict of social stigma and how it can be solved through simplicity and compassion.
Randeep is one of Divyenndu’s gentlest performances. Far from the violence of Munna Tripathi, or the sarcasm in Pyaar Ka Punchnama, this role made him more empathetic and the character more emotionally rewarding. He mentioned in an interview, “You can’t always be loud or crazy.” He appreciated the warmth of the narrative that was Badnaam Gali, as it was centered around kind individuals who were merely misunderstood in their society.
In these moments, Divyenndu was recognized for his attention to little details. His calm, emotional, and pensive, character of ‘Randeep’ was more expressive because of the small self-imposed ‘breaks’, eye-rolls, sighs, and pauses he added. Patralekha and Divyenndu collaborated closely, and as their bond deepened, so did their conversations around how their character’s mirrored the isolation of contemporary city life. Silence during rehearsals was a form of meditation for them, and in this time, they conceptualized gestures that enhanced the final film, even if they were not in the script.
Divyenndu’s career prospects improved right after the film Badnaam Gali. Also, the difference in emotional range in the roles Randeep played: the naivete and the raging Munna Tripathi, was monumental. Upon the release of Mirzapur 2, fans of the series went back and reviewed Badnaam Gali, dubbing it ‘the softer side of Munna Bhaiya’ and projecting it as a highlight of the filmography. It was a relatively low profile film, but in a significant way, it became a milestone in showing the range the actor had attained: the ability to compartmentalize rage and constrain it.
Behind the Laughs, a Set Full of Empathy
The setting and ambience of the entire scenario was strikingly close and personal. Badnaam Gali was shot in the tightly packed streets of Delhi, and in the homes of the middle-class, the crew was also small. It was also a low budget production, but the production chaos that usually comes with big budget productions was absent, and it worked in favor of the production. It was a small yet coherent group, each individual pursuing the greater objective: to narrate a piece which had significance.
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