As the name suggests, Praleh takes the viewer into a post-apocalyptic world where a man wears a mask even inside a house as he tries to catch a glimpse of the world outside from a small window. The walls behind him are covered with newspaper cuttings of an atomic explosion, communicating to the viewer the reality the film is set in. The man lives by himself, trying to survive whichever way he can, at the same time, the viewer is also introduced to his life that once was. It is evident that despite having survived the catastrophe, the protagonist is still within the clutches of his memories and past. And as if they were to take a corporeal form while visiting him, soon different characters begin arriving at his doorstep. The narrative enters the abstract space of metaphors and symbols to truly introduce us to the torment of the man, who may have outlived an apocalypse, but still has to overcome the several internal, emotional obstacles he battles within.

Praleh | Short Film of the Day

Irrespective of how far we go in life, we always carry a few things - memories and the people we used to be, with us. This sense of nostalgia as well as an intertwining with a past is what the film offers through its narrative. Using the experiences and memories of four of its characters, Oodh shares a story of a family's relationship with a house they all spent several years in. The plot offers a space of domestic bliss, albeit marked by familial disagreement, but none that is not endearing in nature. It portrays the special emotional connect that each member had with that house, and now when it's time to move on and say the final goodbyes, it refuses to let them go alone. The film is calm and mellow in its depiction of the same, further enhanced by seamless visuals, allowing it a sombre energy that works on multiple levels.

Oodh | Short Film Nominee

Woh Pal is a sweet film with a simple message. A message that perhaps we take for granted, or simply
forget, one of parental love and affection. Aman, an 11-year-old boy, makes attempts to revive
the relationship between his grandparents and father as he believes it needs help. He
takes it upon himself to bring them closer by alluding to the fond childhood memories that they shared
together. True to the grammar of the short film, Woh Pal delays the reason or the explanation for
Aman’s motivation. For all its regard for parental love, the film is curiously titled thus, making a
reference to the memories, and not something that pronounces its position more directly. The film falls
perfectly into the genre of the ‘90s’ ‘family films’.

Woh Pal | Short Film Nominee

The coronavirus pandemic not only clutched the world in its grasp, but also unleashed upon us a plethora of unforeseen and unexpected circumstances. One of them was affecting how frequently and easily one could travel and be with family members in different cities, especially on important occasions. The short film, without spelling out the reason for it and leaving it up to the viewer to decide whether or not it is the pandemic, introduces us to a protagonist who is unable to go home for Diwali. While being away from his loved ones on a day that was defined by them in his childhood, he decides to not let the distance mar his spirits, and instead chooses the same unhindered cheer at this point in his life too, that once constituted his Diwali celebrations as a child, leaving the viewer with a sweet message about one's approach to the world.

Most Viewed

Genres

Awards

Follow Us

Quick Links