Our obsession as a nation with civil services and bureaucracy often leads young people to invest long, toilsome years of their life into preparing for the UPSC exam. Though the aspirants might start on a wave of hope, focus and discipline, they are given little preparation or warning for what is to truly come. For instance, what happens just in case all their hard work is still not enough? Or what more is needed of them beyond simply long hours of study? These are some of the many questions that the latest offering by TVF, Aspirants, raises, while also attempting an answer.

TVF's Aspirants | The Viral Fever | UPSC | Web Series

TVF's Aspirants

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

Trigger Warning: Sexual violence, graphic content 

India, as a country, is deeply steeped in misogyny, patriarchy and extremely sexist behavior that damages society adversely in several ways on multiple levels. Often, the strongest instruments of patriarchy are women themselves which enforce this problematic code of conduct, further leading to a condoning of the wrongful acts committed by men. Not only are women left to deal with the brunt of it all, but are also blamed for it. The short film is an endeavor in engaging with all of these concerns in a sincere manner. The setting it chooses for the same is one of darkness and disconcerting silence. As a couple argues about an unpleasant incident, the viewer is allowed to realize that the circumstance is perhaps more sinister than what meets the eye at first glance. Through a plot marked by suspense, thrill and a climax (albeit a little foreseeable) brimming with intense emotion, it asserts its intentions loudly and clearly, forcing the viewer to sit up and take note of a grotesque reality of the world it inhabits.

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