Short Film Nominee October 9, 2021
By Aniket Vikas Patil with 6.7
drama · Short Films · marathi
Living in a small Marathi town with his parents, Tejas is a bright student who is often applauded by his teachers for his examination scores, performance and knowledge. However, this doesn’t sit right with his classmates who lag behind and struggle to secure the bare minimum grades. They end up bullying Tejas by calling him names, pushing him around and beating up others who try to befriend him.
The little protagonist, who is already battling the grief left in the wake of his beloved grandmother's death, is adversely affected by it all. However, instead of being able to identify the role of mental health, Tejas' parents mistake the cause of his turmoil as being something else entirely.
Mired in superstition, the approach thus becomes about them reaching out to numerous pandits and holy men who conduct varied rituals with the promise of recovery. In a society where people would seek solace in religious rites and rituals, instead of a qualified professional, the film does its bit to further the conversation on mental health.
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