Saakhar is a heartwarming portrayal of a mother-son relationship. With its interesting use of camera and light, the film attempts to take the viewer into the life of Atharva, a school-boy preparing for an exam the following day. His mother is a single mother who juggles her professional, domestic and maternal duties. Her convincing character owes much to the subtleties added to her delineation a less attentive filmmaker might have missed. Saakhar, or sugar in Marathi, comes to then perhaps stand for a certain sweetness (or the lack of it) associated with a mother's relationship with her son during different aspects of the same situation.

Saakhar (Sugar) | Short Film of the Day

Made intelligently, the narrative is hilarious and endearing in equal measure. The story is of a young boy from Chennai who is extremely passionate about Bollywood. Hence all his efforts are directed in one direction - to move to Mumbai. While everything is taken care of for the achievement of this goal, there remains one major hurdle - his complete lack of grasp on Hindi. As he goes about trying to change the same, the narrative exhibits skilled camerawork and selection of frames, convincing performances and an efficient utilisation of limited resources. Along with being an engaging story and an authentic portrayal of a young boy from Tamil Nadu (barring a slight stereotyping of people from Bihar), the film leaves the viewer with a deeper understanding of the significance of language in people's lives which goes beyond its linguistic structure.

Other Tongue | Short Film of the Day

Oral Culture is simply a conversation between two characters about the deep infestation of technology in our lives and the modifications in human existence it might lead to. As the two friends prepare for a night of drinking, they find themselves unable to agree on the extent to which smartphones and related technology is capable of affecting communication. The narrative is simple, effortless and does not try to be anything it's not, which works as a charm in its favour. The same can be said about the actors which render their performance with an honesty that leaves the viewer with a convincing glimpse into an evening spent by three friends.

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