Kinesthesia and catharsis: An analysis of Bhumika

Kinesthesia is a transformation of mental state into physical catharsis, the embodiment of psychological pain into physical. The layers of mental disturbance are enfolded into physical actions performed through the parts of body. To Eisenstein, physical actions are always motivated by the psychological. Kinesthesia in the form of dance is the transformation of emotions into one’s self. The film ‘Bhumika-The Role’ is based on Hansa Wadkar’s autobiography ‘Sangtye Aika’ (translated into English as ‘You Ask, I Tell’). Kinesthesia of her body movements during dance and her act on stage, expresses her inside pain. Her beautiful act is presented to be an act of catharsis. ‘Bhumika’ is a beautiful transformation of physical embodiment of psychological state of mind. To understand the female version of catharsis, ‘Bhumika’ is analyzed on the basis of various elements the film is focused upon. The semiotic technique of film analysis is followed to understand the signs and symbols used in the film as metaphors. Along with the symbolic elements (title, storyline, narrative, songs and music, characters and dialogues), technical elements (camera techniques, editing, lighting, location and set) are also analyzed and discussed in the study. The film is based on a female artist and is feminist in nature so, the feminist film theory is applied on it. Key words: Biographical film, feminism, kinesthesia, catharsis.