As the title of the film suggests, it is a metaphor for the contemporary reality in India. By using a familial setup as an analogy for the functioning of a country, it offers a strong comment on the manner in which a democracy functions. The film exhibits competent cinematography, but the highlight still remains the questioning of the faulty system by two little brothers, unable to see past the sham of transparency and the autonomy of the individual. The brothers disagree with their parents on where they want to go for holiday. The father thus decides to put it to vote. However, is reaching a consensus by all logical, rational and ethical means, and following it through the same thing?

Democracy | Short Film of the Day

The film touches upon a nerve that is an unfortunately pervasive discussion in contemporary India for
the past few years: who is a nationalist and who an anti-nationalist? 
The film opens on a day of national importance. A man on a microphone is addressing a gathering. He is
propounding the same ideas of culture, the Vedic texts and the Hindu rashtra that we have been hearing
for many years now. 
In the same setting, passes Saraswati Amma, an eighty-year-old freedom fighter who had joined the call of
the clarion when she was sixteen years old, inspired by Gandhiji’s words. The definition of nationalism she
offers puts the bigoted discourse to shame.

Mara Mara Mara | Short Film Nominee

The film exhibits a critical sense of urgency about the state of affairs in the country presently: the
crisis in our democracy. From the alarming level of crime, to unemployment, to fake news, to even
environmental concerns. One can see the frustration of the filmmaker about the helplessness of our
circumstances which are represented by the views of the lead character, the boss of a media
organisation. We are told repeatedly by his colleagues that he neglects his health and has been missing
his medicines. Soon we learn the importance of that insertion in the narrative. 
The film is borne out of an emotional reaction to the state of affairs in the country, but it confines itself
to the projection of only that emotion. An exploration of the other aspects of the story would have allowed it an added layer.

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