Firebrand Movie Review

I have become you, and you have become me, I am the body, you're the soul;
So that no one can say hereafter, that you are someone, and me someone else.

by Amir Khusro


The legendary poet Amir Khusrau and his arduous poetry have been on my mind like forever. Given this state of mind, I happened to watch Firebrand'- a well-intended Netflix multilingual movie with a nimble and uncluttered narrative. The above lines perfectly summarise Sunanda and Madhav-the protagonists of the story.


The story is about the borderline unscrupulous emotional catharsis of a rape survivor- Sunanda (I refuse to call her a victim, and she survived this excruciating trauma emerging as a winner)


The plot elucidates the wretched misery of the 'Firebrand Lawyer' Sunanda who finds cathartic healing by representing her muzzled emotions- treating the court as a battlefield, getting justice for her oppressed female clients. Much to the dismay of the audience are her contrasting deafening cries at night with her soulmate Madhav, trying to come out of her misery- the trauma of the rape which she relives at any physical intimacy. Who would have imagined the Firebrand Feminist'- a label she carries so proudly bursting into laments every night? Going through a crisis, aware of the love showered by her counterpart Madhav, tracing her cathartic journey with a psychiatrist- Sunanda dons all the feathers in her already overloaded cap with strange ease, power and persuasion.


What's eye-catching is Madhav-her non-toxic partner in every sense of the word. His patience and divine love for Sunanda forms the crux of the narrative. Their banter and camaraderie almost leave you heartbroken when Sunanda finally Let's it Go' with a strange sexual encounter with one of her clients.


You almost felt like screaming-" It has to be Madhav who liberated you. But strange is the complexity of a human mind. Acceptance and liberation are self purgatory and need not follow the norms that society lays out.


She finally accepts herself and liberates herself from the clutches of her trauma. Unapologetic about the nature of catharsis, Sunanda surprises, oddly enough for the Firebrand feminist' she is, we almost rooted for her flawless attitude. She does re-echo what Madhav had helped her differentiate- Love and Lust are two different attributes.


In the end, we are baffled, are they really two different things? The thought is left lurching at the back of your mind. What seems surreal for us is a rape survivor's catharsis. She is healed, rescued from the multiple reliving of her rape trauma and her mind is overwhelmed. She chooses to share it with her soulmate- not a hint of guilt on her glowing face. A sign of momentary grief and discomfort from Madhav, but his liberation wasn't different from hers, because they were soulmates.


Is it a story about Rape trauma or is it the story about betrayal? Is it a story about a painful past or is it a story about the present? Moreover, is it a story about acceptance or is it about morality?


These are some of the questions left open-ended. Subjective yet deeply reflecting. What stays in my mind is another question- "Does the scar eventually heals, or you just learn to accept your scars? Firebrand doesn't answer that for sure.