Kriti is a chill-inducing psychological thriller, sufficient to be the stuff of nightmares. Supplemented effortlessly by the brilliance of Manoj Bajpayee and Radhika Apte, the short film is intelligent and unpredictable. While most mainstream art struggles to discuss mental health, Kriti does it in the most subtle and adept manner. When a writer is plagued with a mental disorder, he might find solace in another writer who has mental health issues of her own. Looks like two people have found each other to even out their own imperfect edges, but the human mind is an interesting thing, and has something completely different up its sleeve. Ensure that you're safely tucked in bed, all doors are tightly shut and all lights switched on before you attempt find out what that is.

Kriti | Short Film of the Day

Women's accessibility to public spaces is fraught with threats of molestation, street sexual harassment and sometimes even far worse. The film attempts to draw attention to this limited space that is allowed to women, and how the entire society, from family and friends, to colleagues and complete strangers, are implicit in reducing it further. The narrative makes the most skilled use of hand-held shots, tight frames and dim lighting to drive this message home. It's written in a manner that makes the viewer deeply invested in the fear and the anger of the three main characters. As their families tell them to avoid stepping out and confronting their harassers, the women find their strength in each other. However, more than trusting each other, they have to find that strength and trust in themselves. Once they manage to conquer the enemy within, there is little they cannot defeat without, emphasises the film.

That Day After Everyday | Short Film of the Day

The story is of an Arjun and an Indra, of magical stones and a disappeared boy. Add to it Radhika Apte in one of her most alluring avatars as a convincing coquette, and the short film is bound to catch your attention. The setting is the house of an artist somewhere in West Bengal. One afternoon a police officer visits him regarding the disappearance of a boy called Arjun who was last known to have met him. The mystery of the missing boy which is introduced to the viewer is taut with the sexual tension between the police officer and the young wife of his ageing host. The plot is the overarching force that drives this film, a modern day take on the myth of Ahalya in which the power structures have been reversed. Further, the narrative is weaved most seamlessly by skilled performances of its three actors.

Ahalya | Short Film of the Day

Radhika Apte is at it again in this short film series 'Bold is Beautiful' by Myntra. Unearthing an old piece of art is worth it if it conveys a message as relevant as this one. Shaheen, played by Apte, is a professional who is clearly great at her job, but her pregnancy is what concerns her colleagues more than her work. In a society, that equates pregnancy with being disabled, or as an angry Shaheen calls it, "handicapped", The Calling makes a much needed comment about the manner in which women are viewed as professionals. No, pregnancy doesn't mean end of their career and the short film ensures that this message is conveyed in the most emphatic manner.

The Calling | Short Film of the Day

The video marks ten years of a campaign that was started by actor and director Nandita Das under the Women of Worth NGO in 2009. Called Dark is Beautiful, the campaign attempts to fight discrimination against a dark complexion in India, a country which is made up of 1.3 billion people. The visuals include short sketches and a huge cast of different actors questioning the supremacy of fair skin in India, especially when it comes to defining beauty standards and ascribing value to a person. The cast, in an all-black attire, sings along to a song that questions the erasure of this particular kind of diversity in a country as massive as India.

India's Got Colour | Nandita Das, Sayani Gupta, Radhika Apte | Short Film of the Day

The entire narrative unfolds in darkness and is thus constituted primarily by shadows. The scene is set for a character breaking into a house where everything seems awry. As he tries to make sense of the things laid out before him, what would be his fate?

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