The short film takes us into the life of a struggling actor who is a fan of Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Siddiqui struggled for decades before any recognition and that indeed is a source of inspiration for so many trying to make their way into Bollywood. They call Mumbai the city of dreams for a reason. It truly is the city where so many have covered the journey from dust to glory. However, for every tale of success and fame that we may have come across, there are at least fifty more that never made it to daylight, that were never heard or shared. Nawaz is a short film that introduces us to one such tale. But will it be of renown or oblivion? That, as is true of all stories, is anyone's guess. 

Nawaz | Short Film of the Day

A woman stands alone in a dimly-lit room saying lines of iconic scenes from iconic films in front of a mirror. A swipe of a makeup brush confirms that she's an actor, perhaps rehearsing before a scene. Soon, a crew member comes to tell her to get ready to give her shot, but will it be everything the viewer expected? Face It, shouldered by its one-woman cast, borrows a few minutes from the life of an actor rehearsing all by herself. With a complete and deliberate absence of a background score, other actors and other paraphernalia, including any visible makeup on the protagonist's face, the film does run the danger of sagging a bit in the middle. However, the climax and the end, a bit predictable for the viewer by now, pulls it back together.

Face It | Short Film of the Day

Kirdaar keeps you on your toes as it builds up to the climax. It's the story of a theatre actor, Aman struggling to grasp a role of a man trying to get in touch with the woman within. As the performance draws closer, this struggle intensifies and his wife becomes the unwitting recipient of the worst of his emotions. But when the performance is finally done and over, is there respite for her? Even if Aman manages to give a good performance, will there be a breaking out of the intensity of grappling with a new role? The film will raise all of these questions in a skilled manner and, at the end of it all, leave the audience more disturbed than they were prepared for at the start.

Kirdaar | Short Film of the Day

A man is deeply passionate about becoming an actor, even at the cost of all the practical difficulties he faces in his life. He has a loving partner who supports him in every kind of circumstance. However, her father has given the protagonist two years to make his pursuit financially viable. If he fails to do this, he would have to take up a job of the father’s choosing before marrying her. 

Two years come and go, as does one more. At the end of this period, the protagonist is at the end of his rope, desperate for any acting project, as well as under pressure even by his beloved to take up the job her father has finalized for him. 

Emotions are running high, his frustration is turning into aggression, and he soon reaches the point of no return. The film presents a zealous endeavor of utilizing thrill, suspense, aggression, and violence to present all of this to the viewer. At its conclusion also lies the final revelation about that one thing that is the most invaluable to the protagonist.

Vaippu | Short Film Nominee

Obsession is defintiely the endeavour of a talented filmmaker with great potential for storytelling. The visuals are innovative and intelligent, though marked by a weak camera. The film is a narrative of one of the innumerable young people who come to Mumbai, hoping to make it big in tinsel town. However, it points out, that while encouraging them to harbour these dreams, few only mention the pitfalls of aiming too high; full points to Aman Gupta for portraying the agony and despair of the protagonist convincingly. The film would have worked better with some polishing and refinement, but that does not make it any less of a noteworthy attempt.

Obsession | Short Film Nominee

The film is predominantly an engagement with the introspective emotional journey of its protagonist. While disrespectful and dismissive of his colleague on the sets of a film, a scene on the same shoot becomes a reflection as well as a reminder of a cruel act he had committed in the recent past. Turns out, his self-absorption as well as the complete immersion in his hubris had led him to mistreat people. Triggered by the regret and remorse he finds himself interacting with, perhaps for the first time in a long while, he then attempts to embark on the path of self-reform. However would he truly succeed in his attempts? The film exhibits notable performances and investment of thought in the structuring of the narrative, yet shows want of finesse, primarily in the sound department.

Aaina | Short Film Nominee

A young girl aspires to be an actor and puts all her heart and soul into it. However, her efforts do not lead to desirable results. After several rejections from potential employers, her father orders her to focus on academics, and give up on this dream. Unfortunately for her, even the examination result does not turn out to be what she had worked for. Completely isolated and alone, along with being crushed by the burden of denied dreams, she takes an irreversible step. It is in this moment that a very crucial text message arrives, but would it already be too late by then?

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