The film is a quiet rumination on aging, the passage of time, and standing still as you watch the world change before your eyes and continue with its inexorable march. All of this is explored by the lament of a protagonist played most adroitly and skilfully by Naseeruddin Shah, who observes it all from his window. 

After having lived a life of hard work, one which even kept him from spending time with his son, his circumstance has slowed down now, leaving him only with this window and his thoughts for companionship. As he eschews modern technology, smartphones, and virtual contact, instead longing for more meaningful and intimate human interaction, the film comes into being. 

The narrative is constructed gingerly, bolstered by beautiful visuals, and supplementary colors that further invoke warmth and an intrinsic poignancy. The protagonist, and in turn, the film, however, is not marked by bitterness. Instead, only a lament on separation, on things changing too swiftly in their unalterable course, defines it. 

 There is an acceptance of this condition, but not devoid of sadness. A man’s relationship with his house, a space that stands for a life lived fully, complete with its losses and grief, as well as nostalgia, memory, and even strength, thus becomes the overarching force in the film. The narrative takes the form of a story of the old being replaced by the new, echoing the idea that while a life might end, the world continues to move forth, each individual going about their day as always.

Khidki | Short Film Nominee

‘Urvarit’ (Remaining) takes you into its world slowly, but definitively. At the film's opening, we are presented with a moment that is already fully-formed. It is the aftermath of a death, locating the characters as well as the viewer in the heart of all that follows thereafter. 
Sharada, an aging woman, has lost her partner of many years. While she braces herself for the life of loneliness that will ensue, a life which still carries the very specific markers of what it was when she shared it with her husband, from an empty bed to a forgotten pair of slippers, her family of two sons and daughter-in-laws has already started making preparations for the rituals, formalities and other worldly duties that need to be taken care of. 

As much as the narrative is marked by the constant conversation of the said family members, it is also marked by Sharada’s silence and lack of participation in it all. In the process, the film offers a nuanced comment on loss, grief, but above all, on the shape existence acquires for those who get left behind in the wake of death.

Urvarit | Short Film Nominee

‘Seher’ is a heartfelt film, bringing to life a quiet mellowness on screen. The entirety of it is a conversation between Abhay and Hussna, a conversation that begins at a very pivotal point in the night for both characters. 

The ensuing exchange offers an earnest exploration of grief, loss, death, heartbreak, and some more. As they catch up, we hear of the many tribulations that afflict their lives in the form of infidelity, the uncertainty of life for a freelancer, financial troubles, the obstacles presented by the pandemic, mental health issues, and failure in love. 

The myriad emotions are shared without overwhelming the narrative. Even though we never see the two characters together in the same physical space, their palpable chemistry portrays the film’s reality with conviction and ease. The thread that ties the film as one is held tightly in place by a beautiful exploration of a Platonic friendship, and the idea of people saving each other not by grand gestures, but by simply sharing small, simple pockets of bonding, care, and affection.

Seher | Short Film of the Day

The story of the film is about several things - it is about bereavement, the consequent grief, trauma and what it means to always be at war with your loved ones regarding the decisions of your life. Its title, which loosely translates to make-belief, further offers a comment on how several restrictions that truly hold us back, find a home inside our minds first, even before they achieve a physical manifestation. The film employs beautiful visuals to share its intentions and a plot that is notable for its thrill and the unpredictability of the direction it is headed in. It is for this reason that while the narrative might first give the impression of being a drama, it soon unfolds to reveal a darker reality - one of violence, overpowering authority figures, the duress of forever being under scrutiny and the disturbing outcome it might eventually result in, allowing it to be an engaging, relevant, as well as entertaining product.

Mangadhant | Short Film of the Day

The short film is a calm conversation with grief, longing, heartache and the inexorable passage of time. Based on a short story by Madhumita Dasgupta, it opens on the first death anniversary of a man who is survived by his daughter, living by herself in their house. The narrative progresses to reveal her own struggles and internal obstacles left in the wake of her father's death. The story engages with several aspects of life that range from relationships to the hard, practical realities of life. Its storytelling is further supplemented by a poetic narration by Naseeruddin Shah, moving in and out of the film most organically and smoothly. The film exhibits a sophisticated tying together of visuals that enable it to communicate what it had set out to successfully. While we may forever endeavour to compartmentalise our feelings and rationalise the various events of life, there are indeed some vagaries that transcend all of these categories, underlines the film with its quiet conclusion.

Bin Bulaaye | Short Film of the Day

The title of the film sets the first expectations in terms of its thematic concerns; the approach and storytelling ensure that their exploration does not become trite or predictable. 

Vihaan is lazing in a park, consumed by his own thoughts when a phone call delivers the most shocking news - one about the passing of his school best friend Krish. Vihaan's long silence which follows as the caller continues to share her plans establishes his emotional state for the viewer - a numbness-defined quiet. 

A group of their school batchmates meet at a friend’s house to share their grief and thus begins the protagonist’s efforts to come to terms with everything that he’s feeling, or rather the very lack of the feelings that won’t come. It is further interwoven with how grief means different things for different people, and for some, nothing at all. The film ropes in notable choices for the background score, along with exhibiting thought and care when it comes to the screenplay, writing, and the overall putting together of the end result as a composite whole. It leaves the door open for expanding on the already-evidenced potential and storytelling in future projects.

How Not to Deal With Grief | Short Film of the Day

The protagonist of the film, Rajat, is dealing with a traumatic emotional upheaval, the loss of his wife, Pritha, to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is coupled with the isolation of a locked down world which has further left him struggling to come to terms with the pain and grief. 
With only a sincere, close friend by his side, Rajat is gradually succumbing to his reality. The narrative explores all of these emotions, engaging with the different stages of grief. There is the attempt to talk about serious mental health concerns, and the adverse ways in which the pandemic worsened them. However, as for the protagonist, while things may seem extremely bleak on the horizon, could Rajat find it in him to accept the circumstance, and eventually, the strength to move on?

Pulse | Short Film Nominee

A woman arrives at a house to be greeted by a welcoming father. However, this is not a usual meeting between two family members, her furtive glances at her phone screen convey that. The apparent lack of the age difference between the two further asserts the unease that is gradually becoming inherent to the circumstance. 
The plot develops to reveal the role of technology in simulating a reality that once was, allowing Sia to revisit her past. In the process, a conversation on loss, grief, longing, and the need to eventually move on is presented to the viewer. Even if the production value of the end result is slightly hindered by the sound and a smattering of inconsistent visuals, the story throughout remains marked by a gentle quietness and sincerity of thought.

Mulaqaat | Short Film Nominee

‘Keni’ is a conversation with grief and the many travails it leaves in its wake. A couple is dealing with the loss of their young son, both in their own ways, now having found themselves far, far away from each other. The detached silence of the man, while communicating how consumed he is by his thoughts, serves as the landscape against which his wife’s anger finds verbal articulation. At the center of it all is also the former’s sympathy towards the dying insects and rodents around him. The narrative ties this emotion well with his quietness to take itself home in a notable manner, leaving the viewer with a shocking turn of events.

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