The film aims to weave a poignant narrative about a couple which was deeply in love once, but now struggles with distance, indifference and apathy in their relationship. It does a notable job of bringing out this contrast by using a black and white palette juxtaposed against the colourful one of the happier times. It further attempts an engagement with the notions of fidelity and whether cheating can be reduced to the category of only a sexual act. The story is successful in conveying what it had set out to simply because it does not try to be anything it's not. It is simple and honest in the manner in which it shares its story. This is further supplemented by a convincing chemistry of its characters. The story and its execution progresses at an organic pace, and before you know it, colours have trickled again into a monochrome palette.

Tonight's Special | Short Film of the Day

At the heart of ‘Machraja’ lies a constant battle that is being waged between the carnal, worldly desires, and the spiritual realm of discipline and control. The protagonist, stuck in the center of this, is being aggressively pulled in opposite directions that is leading to a dangerously high level of cosmic radiation over Mumbai. It is the link that connects these two seemingly unconnected occurrences upon which the narrative pivots. 

The writing is marked by a sense of the absurd, along with an experimental approach, both of which make the film an entertaining watch. Because it does not take itself too seriously, the tonality remains unencumbered and instead, becomes light and humorous. The performances embellish the film further, ensuring that on the whole the final result achieves freshness in its storytelling and narratorial progression.

Machraja | Short Film Nominee

The short film is a brave attempt to delve into love, heartache and the inexorable passage of time. It follows a non-linear narrative to present to the viewer three parallel storylines of couples trying to make sense of love and relationships. The first narrative is of Dev meeting a former lover, Arti after a couple of years, the second is of their past and the third is about Dev's romance with another girl before Arti came into his life. Kashish takes the viewer back into those years of their adolescence that brought with them perhaps the first introduction to heartache. It was followed by another phase when they would have just begun to make sense of what love and relationships could potentially mean, finall concluding with a realisation that while, much like the protagonist, they might have had refused to let go of the past, time and tide truly waits for none.

Most Viewed

Genres

Awards

Follow Us

Quick Links