What is love and what is companionship? The short film attempts to look at their many forms as they take flight beyond their traditional roles. The wonderfully crafted narrative explores the meaning of dressing up and how strangely liberating it can be from mental and emotional prisons. Is it in the colour of a new lipstick, the swirl of a dark eyeliner or the glow of a new highlighter? This festive season, discover friendship, dressing up and the joy of being in love with your body. Feeling overwhelmed as to what Qaid is about? Good, now you're ready for this beautifully well-intentioned film.

Qaid | Short Film of the Day

When it's time to visit the family, it's also time to confront parents' disagreement with lifestyle choices, nosy neighbours and your mother's failed attempts to contain gossip. Phuljhadi is a film which delineates all of this and more. From adoption to a mother-daughter conflict - the film touches upon them all. Aprajita is a working professional who has adopted a girl and this Diwali is the first time she's coming to her grandparents' house. Will it be a emotional reunion or a bitter goodbye?

Phuljhadi | Short Film of the Day

Ahead of Father’s Day, Blush’ latest offering is about a nervous, newly married’s woman’s relationship with her father-in-law. The narrative is plotted against the background of an India-Pakistan cricket match. As they watch the match together, the memory of the 1996 World Cup, where India and Pakistan played in the same team against Sri Lanka, is invoked. While reminding the viewer of a heartwarming memory in the history of the World Cup, the young woman finds a similar emotional space with her father-in-law that she had once found wit her own father. Released amidst the World Cup hysteria that has gripped the nation, the short film is simple, endearing and makes for a wholesome watch.

Unexpected Partnership | Short Film of the Day

Despite the presence of Article 15 in the Indian Constitution, which forbids discrimination of people based on their religion, caste and creed, the contemporary reality in the country is far from it. This video with Ayushmann Khurana calls out the same. Ahead of the release of his film Article 15, it becomes one of the many similar videos Khurrana has been doing with other publications. In terms of treatment, the video is simple and straight. The writing is constituted by powerful poetry, questioning the status quo. It earns full points for being thought provoking and impactful, albeit not standing out for its visuals, art direction and overall execution.

Article 15 - Throne Of Equal Opportunities | Short Film of the Day

The short film does a good job of convincing you of its predictability, and then an even better one of proving you wrong. It’s the story of one afternoon where a solo trip is being discussed by a mother and daughter duo over a cup of tea. The mother has apprehensions of what it is to begin while the daughter is convinced of what a wonderful experience it is to be by yourself. Not entirely subtle in its messaging, the short film leaves you with a reminder to be kinder to your parents, especially when they forget it themselves.

Zindagi Ki Itinerary | Short Film of the Day

Everyone’s talking about gender, and everyone’s talking about elections and your duty to vote as a responsible citizen. However it’s hard to come by content that ties up both together. The short film attempts to do the same and succeeds. Its good writing and strong narrative stands out against the background of stop motion visuals that constitute the video. Drawing attention to apathy, indifference to politics, laziness and the prevalence of misinformation, the short film leaves the viewer with a reminder of the importance of their vote and how simply casting it is an empowering act for women.

Yeh India Hai, Yahaan Sab Chalta Hai | Short Film of the Day

The video is a montage of different women against the recitation of a poem about a dancer's feet and what it means to be a woman in this world. Released on the occasion of International Dance Day, it's a reminder of the various ways in which a woman finds herself moving between failure, rejection, condescension and dismissal by society. While the video sews together simple but lovely visuals, it still does not match up to Culture Machine's other productions on gender and related topics. It celebrates dance and women and the manner in which art empowers, but there is nothing extraordinary about the writing or the voiceover that will stay with the viewer.

My Dear Aching Feet | Short Film of the Day

The short film is about Diwali and the approach of two generations to the festival. While a son gets off the phone with his father after an argument about wanting to celebrate the festival with his friends, another man, also present there, shops for kurtas for his son. As the younger man helps the older stranger to buy those kurtas, indeed a deeper understanding of the festival awaits him. The film is simple, straight and is taken several notches higher by Atul Shrivastav's endearing performance.

Long Distance Diwali | Atul Srivastava | Diwali | Short Film of the Day

The short film is the story of a young architect Nisha, who has been recently married into the Sarabhai family. As she prepares for her first Diwali as part of the new family, she treads a narrow line between protecting her identity and fulfilling the expectations of others. The event managers have been fixed, the saree is ready and guests are about to start coming in. As she is about to step out as a Sarabhai hostess, will Nisha be able to strike a balance between her individuality and what she sees as her duty towards her new family?

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