17/05/2024 - CANNES 2024: Konstantin Bojanov’s third feature follows a doomed lesbian romance in contemporary India while diving into the local brothel culture, steeped in misogyny

Being perhaps the most “globalised” Bulgarian filmmaker, Konstantin Bojanov knows no cultural boundaries, and the stories he tells are universal, whether they unfold in Bulgaria, Britain or India. Furthermore, his plots always feature characters on the run: in Avé [+see also:
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The Shameless [+see also:
trailer
interview: Konstantin Bojanov
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Daring prostitute Renuka (Anasuya Sengupta) murders a client and vanishes in a flash from New Delhi, dashing off to a smaller town where she seeks refuge in the impoverished hooker neighbourhood, consisting of one-story buildings. There, she falls in love with beautiful virgin Devika (Omara Shetty), whose chastity men from all over the area are already drooling over, while her mother wonders how best to sell her. A borderline personality between a demon and a saviour, Renuka will try to initiate Devika in a free-spirited philosophy that looks beyond their real-life circumstances while fighting for the carnal survival of both.

Despite the punchy opening shots, promising more dynamics, the charismatic protagonist and the brave portrayal of a lesbian romance in an Indian setting, which feels like a breakthrough, The Shameless relies on a conventional fable-like plot that might become tedious at times, given its predictability as well – it’s clear to everyone that such a story cannot end well. But there is more to it. The pseudonym Renuka, which is another name for the Hindu mother Goddess Yellamma and was chosen by the main character to conceal her Muslim identity, is a gateway to the cultural context of the devadasi system (forbidden in India since the 1980s but still in practice), where girls from the lowest caste are dedicated to the deity, expected to provide sexual pleasure for men without the right to refuse or marry and have a family. In this regard, beneath the generally straightforward and unsurprising story about the forbidden love between two women lurks an insider portrait of a society that masks monstrous social inequality behind religious cults and has fostered misogynistic attitudes for generations, not only among men but also in women, in terms of how they view themselves. The erotic love between the heroines, expressed more in words than through actions, also suggests liberation from the male presence in the lives of two women deeply disenchanted with the opposite sex, rather than a genuine attraction. Meanwhile, the film title strikes at two targets – at the shameless females who allow themselves to have no regard for anyone or anything, even resorting to killing when necessary, and at the shameless rule-makers who have left them no other choice.

The Shameless was produced by Switzerland’s Akka Films, Taiwan’s House on Fire, France’s Urban Factory, India’s Teamo Productions HQ Limited and Bulgaria’s Klas Film. Urban Sales oversees its international sales.