The short film carries a very relevant social message for the viewer who is willing to stick till the end. Fortunately, that won't be a problem in this Naseeruddin Shah-led narrative. Rogan Josh is the story of a meal time when a family sits down to enjoy a birthday dinner with their friends. Throughout, there are suggestions of a deeper, darker subtext even for the most inattentive viewer. However, as the plot thickens, these cues are going to become subtle and bewildering. Watch closely for you wouldn't want to miss the climax and closure this short film has in store for you.

Rogan Josh | Short Film of the Day

The film is a quiet rumination on aging, the passage of time, and standing still as you watch the world change before your eyes and continue with its inexorable march. All of this is explored by the lament of a protagonist played most adroitly and skilfully by Naseeruddin Shah, who observes it all from his window. 

After having lived a life of hard work, one which even kept him from spending time with his son, his circumstance has slowed down now, leaving him only with this window and his thoughts for companionship. As he eschews modern technology, smartphones, and virtual contact, instead longing for more meaningful and intimate human interaction, the film comes into being. 

The narrative is constructed gingerly, bolstered by beautiful visuals, and supplementary colors that further invoke warmth and an intrinsic poignancy. The protagonist, and in turn, the film, however, is not marked by bitterness. Instead, only a lament on separation, on things changing too swiftly in their unalterable course, defines it. 

 There is an acceptance of this condition, but not devoid of sadness. A man’s relationship with his house, a space that stands for a life lived fully, complete with its losses and grief, as well as nostalgia, memory, and even strength, thus becomes the overarching force in the film. The narrative takes the form of a story of the old being replaced by the new, echoing the idea that while a life might end, the world continues to move forth, each individual going about their day as always.

Khidki | Short Film Nominee

Enter a cafe where two lovers meet after thirty years. However, they're not alone during this meeting, they have also carried with them the memory of their last meeting from all these years ago. The short film possesses a dreamy execution of what otherwise might have been an ordinary script and storyline. It is heart-warming and instills a sense of hope in the viewer. The chemistry between Naseeruddin Shah and Shernaz Patel is one of its strengths and deserves a special mention. Furthermore, it employs a thespian treatment of the narrative, and as the events unfold, evokes a sense of a theatrical performance. The film, therefore, becomes a wholesome product complete with expert performances and wonderful storytelling that would leave the viewer feeling fulfilled.

Interior Cafe Night | Short Film of the Day

There is something deeply beautiful about love stories where the biggest obstacle, among other things, is time. The climax involves a heartwarming union after this particular enemy is vanquished. The Wallet is a narrative that deals with battling the same nemesis. It boasts of a strong cast of Naseeruddin Shah and Navni Parihar, both of whom offer wonderfully convincing performances. The story in itself, though not entirely unique, is a potentially poignant one. However, where it fails is allowing itself enough time to come to a boil. The movement from one point to another is achieved, but not allowed the pace it deserves. Another aspect which works in films of this kind is silence. The extent to which silence could have been used to enrich the narrative remains under-utilised, especially in the union scene of the star-crossed lovers. On the brighter side, everything else in the film requires little to no improvement, which is what makes The Wallet worth a watch.

The Wallet | Naseeruddin Shah, Navni Parihar | Short Film of the Day

The short film is a calm conversation with grief, longing, heartache and the inexorable passage of time. Based on a short story by Madhumita Dasgupta, it opens on the first death anniversary of a man who is survived by his daughter, living by herself in their house. The narrative progresses to reveal her own struggles and internal obstacles left in the wake of her father's death. The story engages with several aspects of life that range from relationships to the hard, practical realities of life. Its storytelling is further supplemented by a poetic narration by Naseeruddin Shah, moving in and out of the film most organically and smoothly. The film exhibits a sophisticated tying together of visuals that enable it to communicate what it had set out to successfully. While we may forever endeavour to compartmentalise our feelings and rationalise the various events of life, there are indeed some vagaries that transcend all of these categories, underlines the film with its quiet conclusion.

Bin Bulaaye | Short Film of the Day

The short film attempts to experiment with camera technique to infuse a freshness in its visuals. This when coupled with a powerful voiceover by the very talented Naseeruddin Shah leaves little room for mistake, yet the film falls short of delivering all that it promises. Pinjra is an exploration of the confines imposed on a woman simply by virtue of her gender. It further goes ahead to draw attention to the fact that even if a woman manages to overcome these limitations and step outside them, she is still met with a world that is deeply steeped in patriarchy. It would do all it takes to not endanger the status quo. The film ticks off all the right elements on paper - there is poetry, strong writing, dance, unique approach to visuals, skillfully minimalist art direction and good performances, but despite it all, it misses the mark by a significant distance.

Pinjra | Short Film of the Day

There is no reason why you should sit through this cringe-fest of a film which throws in names like Sadat Hasan Manto and Naseeruddin Shah, but to very little avail. The characters in the film are shallow, and excluding Shah, accompanied by the most lacklustre performance. Their portrayal is half-hearted and leaves the viewer wondering about what convinced Shah to be part of the film in the first place. With casual racism, stereotyping, sexism and nausea-invoking patriarchy thrown in for good measure, the story is problematic in too many ways to keep count of. The viewer is also forced to pay attention to art direction (or the complete lack of it) and how taking it for granted with unconvincing props and design can make a film fall deeper in the pit of its flaws, even when you thought it had exhausted all criteria of being a bad product. The only pertinent question the film truly raises is about filmmaking and leaves anyone attempting to venture in the territory with a fair warning of how not to make a film like Skin of Marble.

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