In an interesting subversion of order, the short film presents to us the experience of an upper caste boy who is constantly bullied and ridiculed by members of a lower caste. The latter, complete with drums and fanfare, leave no stone unturned in tormenting their victim, ensuring to drive immense laughter and malicious entertainment out of it. 

The weaving of these events is done in a competent manner, ensuring that the story communicates all its intentions with force and impact. The performances and the chemistry of actors, the well-developed equation of the protagonist and the antagonist, all aid the said intentions. 

Without explicitly saying so, the film offers a crucial comment on the oppressive caste structures that operate within society, while also tying it with a sense of male machismo that can acquire overwhelming proportions of its own. The final result, thus, becomes a relevant story, one that should surely be interacted and engaged with.

Cowman  | Short Film of the Month

Indian customs are often deeply-rooted in patriarchal traditions of an age long gone by. Problematic at their core, they are also employed by men to deprive women of agency and the ability to take their own decisions, or even perform important actions, as is true in the case of our protagonist. 

A woman who had left her hometown of Varanasi to move to London, returns for the last rites of her beloved grandmother. Even though the women of the household welcome her back, the patriarch of the family, an uncle, blocks her way at every step. After a refusal to be allowed to perform the final duties for her grandmother, she takes it upon herself to make him see the folly of his ways. 

It is through her attempts to keep pushing, even in the face of all opposition by the men who remain custodians of power that they not only want to assert, but also maintain in a patriarchal society, that the film presents its intentions to the viewer. The arguments it makes, eventually adopting a notable poetic voice for the same, are pertinent. However, the narrative could have gained from a little more ease, effortlessness in its development. It chooses strong actors, but deprives them of an organic pace for the story.

The Last Rights | Short Film of the Day

Along the banks of the holy Ganga, the historical city of Varanasi acts as the backdrop for the film, Taam. Life of three characters belonging to separate generations, during a trying time of deconstruction of the authentic, cultural city is depicted through the short narrative. 

The oldest in the family, a Brahmin pujari who spent a lifetime practising his religion on the ghats of the river, is now being forced to leave the very alleyways he was born into, the ancestral, mystical walls which hold fond memories of his deceased wife. Amidst the constant movement of the several forces tugging at each other, his son tries to straddle the political and the social aspects of the ensuing developments. 

The protagonist is pained at the loss of the city, but is accepting of the resulting compensation- one which is deemed necessary for the survival of their family. Lastly, the innocent boy, still learning the trade, ends up meeting the cruel realities of the world he exhibits. Allowing all of these elements to play themselves out against the several warring factions of society, the film provides insight into life in Varanasi. The many undercurrents of totalitarianism, caste, religion and abuse are further allowed portrayal within the narrative, enabling it to finally tie them together as a cohesive whole.

Taam | Short Film of the Day

The film offers a powerful comment on the oppressive structures of casteism, and class politics in India. Without overtly expressing any of these, the film uses something as inane as dessert, a gulab jamun, as a metaphor that would ensure all its intentions are portrayed and conveyed without a grain of doubt. 

In the process, violence and brutal acts are invoked within the film, pronouncing the message about the hegemony of predominant power structures in Indian society. The endeavor is further bolstered by skilled camerawork that boasts of seemingly long single-takes and performances marked by sincerity. 

The final result shows authentic storytelling and offers a glimpse into a disturbing reality which can perhaps be explored further as a longer project. Needless to stay, the narrative itself is a notable one, leaving the door open for more engagement with similar thematic concerns, and their explorations vis-a-vis the most unexpected, and therefore, refreshing metaphors.

Gulab Jamun | Short Film Nominee

When adults toy with the hopes of a little boy simply to get him to make a cup of tea for them, they have little to no idea what a rose-tinted vision is capable of. The film does not view dreaming as a negative characteristic, but instead one that is to be admired and celebrated. Our young protagonist is at his endearing best as he brings to life the narrative on screen. Deeply loved by his parents, he takes the viewer further into his world as the story establishes itself. The first half of the film is marked by humour, an emotion that would come to be replaced with sentimentalism and drama in the second half. As it develops and progresses, the film brings in notions of caste, the cynicism of adulthood that can lead a father to be cruel even to his dearly loved child, and yet, the narrative comes to be tied together by the very absence of this cynicism in the child who will hold on to his dreams no matter what. It is in this heartwarming message that the completion of the film, and the achievement of the many goals it had set for itself, lie.

Ek Chammach Sapney | Short Film Nominee

Chandru is a hardworking student who only dreams of getting himself a pair of slippers. Every time he sees his equally hardworking father, he simply has one request - to get the footwear. The film starts on a harmless, innocent note, but soon invokes deeper, more complicated issues of caste-based oppression and cruelty meted out to little kids by adults because of prejudice. 
The inability of our ten-year-old protagonist to understand these complexities of the adult world add a crucial layer to the narrative, making its message clear and more impactful. Though the film could have gained from a smoother conclusion, it remains an important story worthy of discussion and engagement.

Chandrudu | Short Film Nominee

With an economy of dialogue and minus any ostentatious plot devices, the film delves into caste structures and their potency in a rural community. The story is of a widow who dared to marry someone from the lower caste. After his death, when his parents drove her out of the house, the woman finds her way back to her native home. However, not all are ready to accept her once again in the community. Though there is a suggested sense of kinship amongt the women, upper class and upper caste men refuse to help with her assimilation. On the contrary, they push her away further, delineates the film. By simply showing the everyday, mundane tasks of the protagonist's life, the film makes an impactful comment about the many tools of oppression and discrimination in India.

Aatma Sukh | Short Film Nominee

The short film aims to invoke a relevant comment on the various kinds of discrimination prevalent in society, in general, and the role caste has to play in this, in particular. It's approach is marked by brevity, an element that works in its favour. The scene is of a village where it seems two brothers are wrapping up work on their farm before moving on to the next task. Handheld shots remain dominant in the narrative, and are further tied with interesting editing to drive home the intensity of events that come to unfold. The film offers insight into the devastating effects of the inherent discrimination against a community and the consequent violence it often leads to. The idea is foregrounded in a significant manner by portraying how the situation in itself might have been a completely inane one, but its misinterpretation due to one's own vision coloured by bias, led to ruinous, irreversible results.

Stone Castle | Short Film Nominee

Two people, a couple perhaps, sits along the banks of a small lake, discussing art and poetry. They talk of revolution and love, of Van Gogh and his paintings, and some more. The film has also already acquainted us with a suggestion of death, the great leveller, by now. It is further symbolized by the physical space of a bank where all the dead of a village are brought for cremation, irrespective of their standing in the mortal world. 

The film intersperses its shots with the past and the present, and maintains an elemental quietness throughout, while the two actors bring justice to their characters with calmly unmissable performances. The visuals lose their sturdiness a little as the story progresses, but the writing remains seamless, ensuring that your attention never strays from the film for a single moment, and you stay with it right till the very end.

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