There is nothing in the world that can prepare one for the brilliantly disturbing allure of Aamis,
except for reviews that are never quite sure how much of the plot they should discuss. It is a
futile exercise, and one that can take away from the experience, especially for a film that
provides so much thematic meat to devour that makes film theorists salivating in the theatre a common sight. No
one reads M Night Shyamalan films’ reviews for the plot or the premise, they read them to see if
it works. And Aamis works like a charm. 

It follows Nirmali (Lima Das), a married paediatrician stuck in the lonely monotony of her daily life
with a husband who is more often away than in town, and a young PhD student Sumon (Arghadeep Baruah) who is an unusual food enthusiast (his research paper is on meat eating
habits of North-East India). Meat plays a bigger role in the film than one would think. In fact, the
two people bond over their love for unusual meat dishes, and they are more enamoured than in
love at the beginning. Nirmali is taken by Sumon’s youthful passion for life, he falls for her
grace and kindness. 

<h2>Illicit love has always been a taboo in Indian films, and surely, Aamis explores it at its purest.
Bhaskar Hazarika deprives his lovers of the sensuality of touch. </h2> He takes the physicality of a
relationship out of the picture and replaces it with love flowing with sexual undercurrents. It
allows for parallels to classic tales of love, those of Heer and Ranjha, Shirin and Farhad. Perhaps their
embraces felt so euphoric to them because they spent years fantasizing for a simple touch.

 
Das is mesmerising as a conflicted woman, constantly aware of the guilt and taboo of her
situation. She is sensual, gracious and deprived, at the same point, of time. Baruah’s constant
cluelessness works for the character of a hopeless lover, who is hell-bent on doing anything to
please his lover. However, their love is an unhealthy transaction, much like the many love stories of the legends. 
 
Hazarika explores the ebbs and flows of their growing love in a nuanced manner. The
audience barely realises when the story takes a dark turn - where it hits the point of no return. By then the story is too likeable to look away. 

The wonderful thematic elements of the first half lead to the dark absurdity of the second. There
is a postmodernist twist on everything that is established, and a brilliant movement of the narrative makes the film
ripe for analysis and multiple viewings. <h2> The characters quietly go insane together, crumbling
under the pressure of society, under the guilt that renders their relationship illicit. By the time it
ends, one can only look back and wonder how they got there. Yet everything makes sense. </h2>
The cinematography is experimental, and partakes of the gluttony of the couple as well as their
fantasies. The editing is euphoric, often piecing together linear and the fantastical with the same
thread, being completely subservient to the whims of the script. The colour red is used
sparingly in the beginning, while it grows and grows until it takes over in the latter half.
The experience itself is one of abject horror and curiosity combined. Ultimately the film
becomes a cautionary tale too - a parable of the things people can do for love. It might also just
be the greatest PETA ad ever made. 
Written by Nimish K Sharma

Aamis (Ravening) | Anurag Kashyap | Review

The short film is a fresh and endearingly humorous take on the sex life of a middle aged couple, played beautifully by Neena Gupta and Jackie Shroff. Along with the convincing performance and chemistry of its two protagonists, the film also has wonderful writing and effortless comedy timing. When Girdharilal stumbles across a pair of handcuffs in his son's room, it triggers an entire conversation on BDSM and kinky sexual preferences between him and his wife. Roopmati, who has recently read Fifty Shades of Grey, has lots to say on the topic to enlighten her husband. As the two attempt to rekindle their sex life and one interruption (read: mishap) follows another, how will the night eventually unfold?

Khujli | Jackie Shroff, Neena Gupta | Short Film of the Day

Samskara translates to 'impressions' - something around which the whole narrative of the film would come to pivot. The visuals make the most skilled use of hand-hold shots and dimly lit frames to build up the tension and suspense of the characters. The viewer is able to participate in it, owing to the manner in which they are weaved. The narrative also makes an expert use of parallel narratives. The reason it works visually and manages to drive its point home most convincingly is because of the seamless editing. The film is an exploration of the extent of the effect of abuse and how entrapping childhood trauma can be. The exploration also justifies the title - the cyclical nature of life, constituted by an external repeat of internal impressions.

Samskara | Namit Das

The film is a wonderful take on the various aspects of love - thrill, cheating, stability and boredom - from the point of a view of a housewife in a middle-class, nineties household. The narrative does a notable job of using a mundane object, a pressure cooker, to comment on the dynamics of a marriage. Swati, who feels neglected by her husband, while also struggling with an old pressure cooker, finds herself considering different options and newer alternatives. She soon finds herself tempted by an automatic pressure cooker, a fancier product of an era that was beginning its tryst with modernisation. However, between temptation of novelty and the stability of familiarity, what will she choose?

Pressure cooker | Pallavi Joshi, Mukul Chadda | Short Film of the Day

The short film is subtle and calm which is precisely what makes its climax significantly disconcerting for the viewer. The narrative starts off as a regular story of gossip, scandal and infidelity in a small pocket of Delhi. However it progesses unpredictably to catch even the most prepared viewer off guard. Tisca Chopra's performance in the film is a dream, just as strongly supported by Rasika Dugal. The major chunk of Chutney is a conversation between two housewives over a plate of pakodhas. While the audience might be preoccupied with the more obvious narrative of addressing a disloyal husband who has taken fancy to a woman younger than his wife, the dark soul of the film rests peacefully within the recipe the displeased, older, but also the more experienced woman has to share.

Chutney | Short Film of the Day

The short film is sharp, unexpected and embellished by a wonderful performance by Tisca Chopra. It takes the viewer into the all too familiar reality of a long marriage now afflicted by the husband's infidelity. While the children protest and blame their mother of inaction, looks like she has finally made up her mind to take charge. The confrontation scene between the two women is a smoothly scripted crux which is surprising, entertaining and delivers everything that the title of the film promises. With a subtle comment on gender, male entitlement and dual-standards, Chhuri will show you how cheating can often turn out to be a double-edged sword.

Chhuri | Short Film of the Day

A newly-married bride wakes up on the morning after her wedding and finds herself bored (and perhaps a little curious). While her husband continues to sleep next to her, she gets to killing time on her own. From unwrapping disappointing presents to being a performer in make-belief situations, she spends the morning executing all kind of acrobatics (both mental and physical). A grim statue of a bat immediately after seeing her mother-in-law is one of the many fun and quirky touches that have been given to the video which experiments with its camera angles, shots and pacing of the visuals. They are further supplemented by singer Ritviz's latest offering, but you will pay attention to the vocals only the second time around. This does not even remotely suggest that the music and the song is any less expertly done, but instead that the video is crafted skilfully enough to triumph over all other elements.

Ritviz - Liggi | Official Music Video

The short film is a nuanced and skilful portrayal of how humour can be found even in the most tragic situations. Along with being a subtle but impactful comment on gender, it also shows the struggle of straddling modernity and tradition. Khatoon Ki Khidmat shows a newly-married woman refusing to have sex with her husband until he gets her a television set. The husband, on the other hand, is struggling to get his father to accept his wife and their marriage. As the characters fight it out, the narrative draws attention to familial dynamics and the location of a woman in a patriarchal household. The film is funny, engaging, insightful and a reminder of how the biggest battles of life are waged in the smallest moments.

Khatoon Ki Khidmat | Short Film of the Day

If spookiness gives you chills, this short film starring Nimrat Kaur and Divyendu Sharma, is not for you. It opens with Kaur getting startled by the sudden presence of her husband, played by Sharma. As the narrative progresses, the viewer realises that Sharma is a ghost, unable to let go of his wife even after his death. His struggle with loneliness also leads him to attempt to bump himself off (once again), but predictably, he fails every time. While the ghost follows his wife around, along with a fossilised bird, Elayichi maintains a good balance between eeriness and lightheartedness. Director Devashish Makhija earns a special mention for portraying the presence of a ghost in a woman's life as a tiresome, but mundane reality.

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