Indian customs are often deeply-rooted in patriarchal traditions of an age long gone by. Problematic at their core, they are also employed by men to deprive women of agency and the ability to take their own decisions, or even perform important actions, as is true in the case of our protagonist. 

A woman who had left her hometown of Varanasi to move to London, returns for the last rites of her beloved grandmother. Even though the women of the household welcome her back, the patriarch of the family, an uncle, blocks her way at every step. After a refusal to be allowed to perform the final duties for her grandmother, she takes it upon herself to make him see the folly of his ways. 

It is through her attempts to keep pushing, even in the face of all opposition by the men who remain custodians of power that they not only want to assert, but also maintain in a patriarchal society, that the film presents its intentions to the viewer. The arguments it makes, eventually adopting a notable poetic voice for the same, are pertinent. However, the narrative could have gained from a little more ease, effortlessness in its development. It chooses strong actors, but deprives them of an organic pace for the story.

The Last Rights | Short Film of the Day

The music video tells the story of a woman who is just stepping out of matrimony. As a first in a long time, she begins to explore life on her own terms. Both the singing and the visual treatment pursue a poetic tone in aiming to bring the thought to life. 

The final result of the musical narrative, though marked by a little rawness, is soulful, accompanied by an intrinsic tenderness. The same remains evident in all of the symbolism it employs. Be it the image of boats waiting at the shore to sail away, a couple of birds as one flies away or simply an urban night where a woman drives alone with only the city lights as her companion, the imagery remains consistent.

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