A Family Drama Over Gender in “Holy Curse”

The New Yorker

In Snigdha Kapoor’s short film, an Indian preteen’s queerness is treated as something to be ritually cleansed—with unpredictable results.

Transcript

00:00Rada?

00:07Rada?

00:08Rada?

00:16Rada?

00:19Rada?

00:20I want to go back home!

00:21Rada?

00:28You said something about Pooja?

00:32My father was enjoying the English.

00:37Look.

00:42Let's see the next time.

00:46You're making fun.

00:48Huh?

00:49You're making fun, Pooja.

00:51Go to your house.

00:55Rada, son.

00:57You can't go here without Pooja.

01:00What's happening with your father?

01:03What are you talking about?

01:07Don't you want to live a normal life?

01:12Rada?

01:13You explain it.

01:14I want to go to the house.

01:16Do you understand?

01:21Rada?

01:22You lied to me!

01:25Let me in.

01:30Please open the door. It's just me.

01:36My back is hurting. Can I come and sit with you, Baccha? Please.

01:39Radha.

02:03What happened to your face?

02:04Show me your face, Radha. There's something on your face.

02:10What happened?

02:13It's become like this.

02:17What happened?

02:21Why is it like this?

02:22You know this Pooja is not going to harm you in any way.

02:33I promise.

02:35Papa also hates me now, no?

02:38Nobody hates you.

02:42Papa and I love you. You know that, no?

02:44I love you.

02:45I love you.

02:49I love you.

02:51Why don't you care about my happiness?

02:53I do.

02:54No, you don't.

02:55I do.

02:59Your body is going through changes, Bata.

03:04You know, I have also felt the way you feel.

03:07I have also felt the way you feel.

03:08I love you.

03:10Stop calling me that.

03:22Nature gives us all a role to play.

03:26And you have to play yours.

03:32Come with me.

03:35Come.

03:38Come with me.

03:43I am going to fight you.

03:44I am going to fight you.

04:06Come with me.

04:08già.

04:09Hey,

04:11Radha.

04:12Look at how beautiful you look.

04:14Some of you have some of these downstairs.

04:15Once you've Completed you have the躍.

04:17It looks like you too.

04:19Come with me.

04:20Well, the body of Pat.

04:21You are also going to eat some of these in my mouth.

04:23You are going to eat some of them.

04:24I am going to eat some of these in the middle of mine.

04:25Come with me.

04:26I am going to eat some of them.

04:27I am going to eat some of my prés.

04:29Yes it is.

04:31You are going to eat some of these in my stomachs.

04:32Yes?

04:33What do you think?

04:34How do you think?

04:35What do you think?

04:36I don't know.

05:06I think it's really nice.

05:35I'm not?

05:36I'm not.

05:37I know I'm not.

05:38I'm not.

05:39I'm not.

05:40Don't take me to American attitude.

05:47I like that respect.

05:51Papa, I want to be.

05:53Wait to meet the trustee of Pandit Ji.

05:56I'm talking to my Papa.

05:58Why are you talking about this?

05:59Don't you talk to me?

06:00It's not very cool.

06:02I promise I really want to be.

06:04He was a good dude.

06:05Will you get the job?

06:07I don't know.

06:08I'm going to go.

06:09Please.

06:11Shh...

06:11Let go.

06:12Shh...

06:20Michu.

06:21Give it back to me.

06:35Kaka, look what happened to him.

06:38He's crazy.

06:39He's crazy!

06:40What happened?

06:41Wait, one second.

06:44What are you doing?

06:45What are you doing?

06:46Bittu, stop.

06:47Why are you leaving him?

06:49Bittu.

06:50Bittu!

06:51What are you talking about?

06:53They're not leaving his sister.

06:55I'm not his sister.

06:56I'm not a brother.

06:58Well done.

07:04Brother.

07:10Oh.

07:12Oh.

07:15Oh.

07:16Oh.

07:17Oh.

07:18Oh.

07:19We are just like him.

07:49So, mom, please take your back and take your back.

07:54In this case, an ancestor, a man, has possessed your daughter.

08:02And he has assured her that…

08:04Pandi ji, we are understanding in Hindi.

08:07Okay, okay.

08:09We will do something for that soul.

08:13Because of that soul, he will be able to find peace.

08:19He will be able to help for the next generation.

08:24And your daughter will be able to find him.

08:28He will be able to find him.

08:34No.

08:36Shri sham yasya devaha yasya chayamrutam yasya mrutyu.

08:43Kasmai devayya havishavidheema.

08:45Most of us, please put your hands in.

08:47Please put your hands in.

08:48Please put your hands in.

08:49Mom, I am not feeling gone.

08:54Come here.

08:56Please come here to your husband.

08:59Please put your hands in.

09:01Please put your hands in.

09:03We pray for all our prayers.

09:07We pray for His soul.

09:10If we have done something in the past,

09:14then we ask Him for peace.

09:17We want to worship Him for His daughter.

09:21Aladha,

09:23let us pray for His children.

09:28Naman Kuro,

09:30He is a lesbian.

09:33He is a lesbian.

09:36He is a lesbian.

09:38He is a lesbian.

09:40Naman Kuro.

09:42Aradha, do that.

09:44He is a lesbian.

09:47Aradha, come on.

09:50Aradha, come on.

09:52Aradha!

09:55We can't go behind him.

09:57You can't go away with this.

10:00Hey, crazy!

10:04What have you done, man?

10:09What are you crazy?

10:17I didn't want to help you.

10:18I'm crazy.

10:19I'll run away.

10:20What do you say in America?

10:21What do you say in America?

10:22What do you say in America?

10:23What do you say in America?

10:27What do you say in America?

10:43How are you?

10:45Oh, no.

10:55What is the girl or my mom?

10:58Actually, everyone.

10:59I don't know.

11:00I don't know.

11:06Who is the ladika?

11:09Okay, that's a question.

11:10I don't know.

11:11I don't know.

11:12I don't know.

11:13I don't know.

11:14I don't know.

11:15I don't know.

11:16I was told so many people.

11:23You know,

11:24they call me all the ladies.

11:27But what if I'm not?

11:44I don't know.

11:45I don't know.

11:46But that's the case.

11:47I didn't know.

11:48I don't know.

11:49You always have felt like a brother to me.

11:54Felt like a brother to me.

12:15Baba.

12:16Don't be fine.

12:22Don't do anything.

12:23Don't do anything.

12:39Now we will be waiting for the people.

12:42If the people came to eat this food,

12:44it will be the same to you that your fruit is free.

12:49And they have also free your daughter to this friend.

12:52Look at that.

12:53I will see you next time.

12:54I will see you next time.

12:56I will see you next time.

12:58We'll be it.

13:01Tonight, see you next time.

13:03Anyway.

13:04STILL

14:06Come here.

14:07Where is it?

14:08Am I still in the water?

14:09Where is it?

14:10Where is it?

14:11Where is it?

14:12The water.

14:13Where is it?

14:14The water.

14:15The water.

14:19The water.

14:21I said, Raviy, that it will be fine.

14:33Dad!

14:39Dad!

14:42What are you doing?

14:46What are you doing, Raviy?

14:48What are you doing?

15:18You are a man.

15:22You are a man.

15:25You are a man.

15:29I'm your girl.

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