“Creating a culture of fear around freedom of expression creates a culture of intolerance. Creating a
culture of intolerance grows violence,” says singer, model Monica Dogra as she opens the video. Her
comment is clearly a scathing critique of our cultural climate that has witnessed increasing polarisation in the
last few years. <br><br> Through the cases of
censorship and assaults on artists in the past, the film tries to elucidate this point. However, the narrative would have benefited from a little more nuance and focus on its subject matter, allowing it to be a deeper, more incisive and inclusive commentary on the same.

Express Yourself | Monica Dogra | Short Film Nominee

A North Indian filmmaker makes his first Telugu film which upsets religious sentiments and invites the
ire of a religious fringe group which disrupts and vandalises the film’s shooting. This is what we’re told
about the film’s plot. <br><br>
It begins with a graphic scene of self-harm by the lead actor. There are also other narrative threads in the film, like a rebellious love story, but it seems to
catch the viewer off guard. It could have been more fitting perhaps for the film to engage deeply
with its small narrative frames to develop them fully and share with the viewer the causes behind all its effects.

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