Sameer and Akash are talking late into the night about mundane things when the conversation takes an interesting turn. Akash leaves Sameer with a link to an AI software where interacting with the virtual assistant would reward you with a gift card. Hesitant at first, Akash soon begins a free-flowing conversation with the chatbot. As the exchange continues to grow in intensity, it leaves both the viewer and the protagonist deeply disconcerted. 
The screenplay, the majority of which unfolds by way of a virtual chat, minus any dialogue, is constructed with care and meticulous attention to thought. A sense of thrill and tension is suffused into the plot as it begins a philosophical engagement with the ideas of religion, existence, consciousness, and enlightenment, already echoed in the title. Even though there is a slight risk of losing some tautness within the narrative, the final unexpected twist at the climax pulls the film back into one cohesive whole. The notably executed solo project paves the path for a longer one in the future with the same approach to storytelling.

Bodhi | Short Film Nominee

The film is tightly controlled in its brevity, as well as the use of a limited physical space. It turns the two to its advantage to tell a story that is a complete whole. A man, an artist, sketches by himself late into the night when a sudden power cut halts his work. In an attempt to light a candle, he stumbles across the most strange phenomenon - a matchstick that refuses to burn out and perish. 
The strangeness of the occurrence continues to build until it reaches a terrible development within the story. All of this is portrayed by way of a black-and-white visual palette, devoid of any dialogue, as the myriad elements are judiciously used to conjure shadows and the sinister intentions they harbor within.

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