When Teeli and Arre get together to make a film about India and Pakistan, it's a pity if you still miss it. In the age of Tinder and start-ups and women choosing careers over settling down, this short film is bound to strike a chord with so many millennials on both sides of the Wagah border. The strength of Matched lies in the fact that it highlights the homogeneity of the two cultures - how young people struggle with the same generation gap everywhere, while at the same time managing to highlight their uniqueness. The script is simple, yet the portrayal, meticulously carried out by two separate crews in India and Pakistan, often over video calls and other media of the Internet, is heartwarming and beautiful.

Matched | Short Film of the Day

There are days when life is doleful and unsatisfying and there is indeed nothing that can lift your spirits. On days like those, take refuge in art, particularly in a product like Yesterday and allow it to uplift you like nothing else. This wonderfully written short film, shot in the most beautiful manner, will remind you that the pain of yesterday is precisely where it belongs - in the past. It will take you deep into the realms of attraction, love, heartbreak, separation, hurt and to love again, because what else can we be sure of if not the cyclical nature of life? The short film will involve you to the point where the boundaries between the self and the characters will blur. You will be with them during their highs and lows and at the end of it all, find yourself smiling again. The film will leave you with hope - to either treat it with carelessness or to hold on to it safely for a rainy day.

Yesterday | Short Film of the Day

The film is a wonderful take on the various aspects of love - thrill, cheating, stability and boredom - from the point of a view of a housewife in a middle-class, nineties household. The narrative does a notable job of using a mundane object, a pressure cooker, to comment on the dynamics of a marriage. Swati, who feels neglected by her husband, while also struggling with an old pressure cooker, finds herself considering different options and newer alternatives. She soon finds herself tempted by an automatic pressure cooker, a fancier product of an era that was beginning its tryst with modernisation. However, between temptation of novelty and the stability of familiarity, what will she choose?

Pressure cooker | Pallavi Joshi, Mukul Chadda | Short Film of the Day

In a world of Tindering and social media romances, let The Affair be a refreshing reminder of old school love stories, sneaking and teasing behind propriety and tradition. The short film is a lovely take on the idea of love in a city like Mumbai where the limited space is shared by many. Amidst the hustle and bustle of a fast paced life, one couple struggles to find the time and opportunity to share a few moments of privacy.

The Affair | Short Film of the Day

Two strangers meet in a shared cab at 3 am in Bombay - one a writer with an advertising firm, the other an investment banker. One of them has had a very long day at work, the other has an anecdote to share about a beef curry he had two days ago. It's easy to see how the two are in completely different mental spaces, yet there's a common thread, one that often connects strangers in a big city. It could be the mad rush of it that forces them to find solace in brief encounters or moments, or it could be a divine, otherworldly connection. Detour, with its narrative most effortlessly handled by director and writer Sumi Mathai, and the convincing chemistry of Sayani Gupta and Vikrant Massey, explores these dynamics and leaves it up to the viewer to decide which is what.

Detour | Short Film of the Day

Looking back on Valentine's Day over the years, you realise we have celebrated singlehood, female companionships, pets, so on and so forth. Just when you thought there's nothing new that can be added to the list, a short film arrived with the most relevant and wonderful message. This V-Day, let's celebrate women who make the first move. Making a strong comment on gender dynamics, Old Fashioned Love, is about a conversation between a bartender and a man sketching by himself. The first reaction for many viewers can be of surprise - to see a woman behind the bar in India, and that is perhaps another comment that the film makes. The conversation between them is intelligently written. The narrative is simple and engaging and concludes with a powerful ending.

Old Fashioned Love | Short Film of the Day

A common thread for all successful romance stories are the nuances and subtleties that are employed in telling them. Among its other strengths, this is the first thing Kaande Pohe captures most effortlessly. Add to it convincing performances and chemistry, and there is little that can go wrong. The scene is set for a meeting between two families for the arranged marriage of their children. This in itself is not an entirely unique subject matter for a short film. However, when the film manages to still tell its story in a completely new fashion, it deserves all the brownie points. It is further a comment on the deep infestation of technology, smartphones and social media in every aspect of our lives. 
 While the previous generation, or as the internet would call them, "boomers", fail to understand the charm of these modern values, seemingly in direct contrast with the sanskaar that is expected of a young woman preparing to get married, the millennials have decided to sink their heels deep into the ground, refusing to budge. With its lovely colour palettes, calm storytelling and honesty in building the narrative, the film is the warm fuzzies you need this Valentine's Week.

Kaande Pohe | Short Film of the Day

Enter a cafe where two lovers meet after thirty years. However, they're not alone during this meeting, they have also carried with them the memory of their last meeting from all these years ago. The short film possesses a dreamy execution of what otherwise might have been an ordinary script and storyline. It is heart-warming and instills a sense of hope in the viewer. The chemistry between Naseeruddin Shah and Shernaz Patel is one of its strengths and deserves a special mention. Furthermore, it employs a thespian treatment of the narrative, and as the events unfold, evokes a sense of a theatrical performance. The film, therefore, becomes a wholesome product complete with expert performances and wonderful storytelling that would leave the viewer feeling fulfilled.

Interior Cafe Night | Short Film of the Day

It's no big secret how deep the pitfalls of love can be. With its portrayal of two young lovers, White Shirt explores precisely that. As they move from one stage of their romance to the next, the viewer is soon introduced to the trouble in their paradise. The short film is engaging and attempts an adept exploration of the many conflicts and turmoil of a relationship gone sour. As is true of all broken hearts, the trajectory of recovery is never a linear one. With several instances of going back and forth, the attempt to move on and the consequent failures, it keeps the viewer guessing till the very end about the fate of the protagonists. As the scene is set for a meeting between them, will it be one of union or parting?

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