Kriti is a chill-inducing psychological thriller, sufficient to be the stuff of nightmares. Supplemented effortlessly by the brilliance of Manoj Bajpayee and Radhika Apte, the short film is intelligent and unpredictable. While most mainstream art struggles to discuss mental health, Kriti does it in the most subtle and adept manner. When a writer is plagued with a mental disorder, he might find solace in another writer who has mental health issues of her own. Looks like two people have found each other to even out their own imperfect edges, but the human mind is an interesting thing, and has something completely different up its sleeve. Ensure that you're safely tucked in bed, all doors are tightly shut and all lights switched on before you attempt find out what that is.

Kriti | Short Film of the Day

The story is of a saleswoman visiting three different houses to convince three potential customers to try her Mamta Tonic. She is giggly, chatty and determined to sell her product. The narrative of the film is skilfully written and achieved with the protagonist moulded in an artful manner. However, a dark twist awaits this seemingly mundane activity of door-to-door retail. The unpredictable plot further accentuates the intelligence of Mamta Tonic, bound to leave the viewer shook in their seat.

Mamta Tonic | Short Film of the Day

How far are you willing to go to punish someone for infidelity? Would you go down the road of vengeance to never return or would you drive away to indifference, and move on? The short film raises these questions with notable performances by Kalki Koechlin and Monica Sharma Dogra, but at the heart of it lies a much darker reality. Along with an engaging climax, the film also offers a deep comment on gender roles. When Kalki's character accuses her husband of cheating on her, he dismisses it as being thoughts of an imbecile, "a fifth grader". The narrative also invests its energy in portraying her as a woman struggling with potentially neurotic behaviour. The fact that despite his cheating, he confidently writes her off could perhaps suggest that her psychosis was a result of his behavioural patterns. Maybe when she accused him of cheating only after a seemingly inane encounter, her anger and distrust came with a massive baggage of a past where he had constantly denied her narrative, making her question her own reality. Would it be too far to suggest that, like as is true of many heteronormative romantic equations, there was an element of gaslighting involved in this equation? If indeed yes, the ending would leave the viewer with a sense of closure. What happens when she has had enough of the same dysfunctional, toxic, soul-sapping relationship? The short film has a satisfying answer.

The Thought of You | Short Film of the Day

The short film weaves its narrative craftily and leaves the viewer completely unprepared for what is in store for them. It induces a sense of discomfort and unease several times, without even remotely making it clear to the viewer the reason behind it, which serves to befuddle, but also engage them deeply. The chemistry between its two characters, Sid and Arun, threatens to spill something, to let at least a little secret slip for the audience's benefit, only to disappoint them further. The pace of the plot is maintained beautifully throughout, which when coupled with its inherent intrigue, makes Rawas a notable product. It's impossible to appreciate the comment it makes about a severe concern that plagues society and the manner in which it hides in plain sight, perhaps lurking in the most unexpected corners of our day-to-day life, without giving a spoiler. That is something the viewer would have to stumble across on their own, allowing this visual and story-telling treat (albeit disconcerting) of a film to take its time to build and shock them with its conclusion.

Rawas | Short Film of the Day

Engaging, unpredictable and potentially disconcerting - that’s perhaps the most apt way of describing the short film. Bloody Moustache is well-written, expertly visualised and coupled with strong performances. It opens with a man shaving off his moustache one morning. However, this sudden change in his appearance elicits no response in his family, his wife and a younger brother. When explicitly drawn attention to, the two look visibly perturbed for the character has never had a moustache in his whole life. As the narratives mingle, the viewer is made to question, who is telling the truth? And if either of them is lying, what could be the motivations behind it?

Bloody Moustache | Short Film of the Day

This short film is not meant for a quiet, cold night when you are alone with your thoughts and their many complexities. It will offer you several voices, but only one face. As Kalki Koechlin skilfully shoulders the narrative with an unsurprisingly brilliant performance, she moves from one life situation to another with only voices of invisible characters to accompany her. Do they exist in real life or are they only a figment of her imagination? This is one of the many questions the film will not answer for you. A loose understanding of the narrative suggests a murder (probably of her dreams?) and the protagonist's perpetual struggle with the Lady Macbeth effect as she keeps washing her hands vigorously. The compulsion to earn money for an ailing family member, the constant instructions of a boss and the desperate need to hold down a job have pinned her to her desk. But is there any escape at hand?

The Job | Short Film of the Day

Get ready for a thriller set in the Tulu forest of Karnataka that will keep you at the edge of your seat throughout. Paroksh, which means the invisible, pushes the boundaries of short films with its proper three act structure of setup, confrontation and resolution. The film does a wonderful job of exploring how we fear the unknown, and wins full points for the unpredictability of the plot and the manner in which it unfolds. Based on a true story, the film also has a subtle, but pertinent social message at the end.

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