The film opens on the day of the protagonist's birthday, but she is far from feeling the cheer. The story develops gradually and organically to reveal the events that have led to this sense of despondency. The birthday this year invokes the memory of the same day the previous year, and thus begins a narrative of grief, loss and regret. The film, though about a relationship shared between a father and daughter, also becomes about the process of grieving, and eventually letting go and finding closure. It invokes all of these emotions for the viewer, and offers a comprehensive narrative as a complete whole constituted by a beginning, middle and end.

This Day That Year | Short Film Nominee

Roshni Datta takes the cake for being the most skilled and charming aspect of Sweety Sonu Ki Filmy Love Story, both as an endearing character as well as the director of the film. The story is of a man and a woman who find themselves falling in love as they watch each other from their respective windows. However, right when their love story is about to take off, it is met by a hurdle most couples in the Indian society battle - gossip of neighbours and family members. Before this obstacle can even begin to be tackled, fate sends something far more formidable their way - the coronavirus lockdown, marked by its social distancing norms. The film employs poetry, music, song and dance to tell its story, and concludes with a wonderful message about the triumph of love over hate. The narrative is colourful, vivid and the kind of warmth a viewer might desire during the bleakness of contemporary times.

Sweety Sonu Ki Filmy Love Story | Short Film Nominee

The film opens on an intriguing note that ropes in the paradox of choice, and the geometrical approach to possibilities and their infinite nature, and sometimes, even the consequent chaos. This is coupled with an ominous tone that comes to mark the rest of the narrative as well. The story is of a strange couple that sits together at night to play percussion instruments. The interactions of these two characters with their neighbours further add to the tension in the story. This, in turn, would also ensure that the viewer chooses to stay till the end to truly get to the bottom of things. The plot continues to get thicker as the looming darkness becomes more overbearing. When the conclusion finally arrives, will it be the release the viewer had expected or needed thus far, or will it simply further the sense of unease the story had established?

Dark Circle | Short Film Nominee

When the pandemic left us stranded in the lurch, away from family and loved ones, in the middle of compelling situations, there was little for us to do, but take it all in our stride and somehow find a way to adapt. The short film is an example of one such situation which would have been unimaginable before 2020, but instead became the need of the hour thereafter and thud had to be tackled with in the best possible way. A flustered woman sits before a computer screen, getting ready for her own wedding while her would-be-groom is driving around in her neighborhood waiting for her. It is simply this situation which the film uses to portray a mother-daughter dynamic, a moment of high stress and the several complexities that come to define it further in a world that battles the Covid-19 virus. The film is direct and sweet and wants to leave the viewer with a message of love, hope and finding it in us to overcome even the most unlikely circumstances with the help of our loved ones.

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