Based on a short story by Ruskin Bond, The Black Cat by Bhargav Saikia portrays an interesting turn of events starting from a day in Bond's life. Played by Tom Alter, Bond comes in possession of a broomstick which is soon accompanied by a black cat turning up at his doorstep. His misadventures with the kitty keep the audience involved, while also invoking a sense of sympathy for the harried writer. Soon after a Ms. Bellows follows, claiming the cat to be hers, and our protagonist is more than grateful to hand over the kitty to his unusual guest. The narrative offers interesting characters in the form of both Alter as Bond and Shernaz Patel as Ms. Bellows. The beautiful camera angles lend an otherworldly quality to the film, equally supported by an eerie soundtrack. Along with Anglican influences in the form of costumes, language and the general lifestyle, The Black Cat also possesses an element of the supernatural, characteristic of much of Bond's writing. This is achieved by elegant special effects which, when coupled with a seamless edit and sophisticated visuals, make the film a thrilling watch.

The Black Cat | Tom Alter | Short Film of the Day

Gustaakh is a story of rebellion, a lone ranger raising his voice against the mighty system. The narrative in itself is not unique, but the manner this music video adopts to develop it indeed is. The video is a comment on several issues plaguing contemporary society - from infestation of technology in our lives to death of individual thought, from a regime trying to control every aspect of its people's lives, to a complete destruction of the environment in the name of progress and the mute acceptance of an entire people refusing to see beyond their shackles. Set against the powerful vocals of The Local Train, it's also a falling away from the kind of visuals and much of the music they have worked on so far. It marks a transition from mellow, soft rock, to a harder, more punk form of the genre. The video seems to be the first of its kind in several ways in the Indian music circuit, with a slight hark back to another video, one by Imagine Dragons which too draws upon the colour red and the image of a teddy bear trying to fight tyranny.

Gustaakh | Short Film of the Day

What happens when you have lost everything and there's no going further? That perhaps is the moment of complete freedom. Maybe an imagined duty or a forced responsibility holds you back from doing everything you want to do and being everything that you can be. However, who would you be if all your expectations were removed? This Arjun Mathur starrer attempts to answer the same. Follow the romance of a character, played most skilfully by Mathur, with his long-nurtured desires in Khudi. The music video also scores full points for the smooth intermingling of graceful cinematography with soulful music composed by The Local Train.

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