The film offers a powerful comment on the oppressive structures of casteism, and class politics in India. Without overtly expressing any of these, the film uses something as inane as dessert, a gulab jamun, as a metaphor that would ensure all its intentions are portrayed and conveyed without a grain of doubt. 

In the process, violence and brutal acts are invoked within the film, pronouncing the message about the hegemony of predominant power structures in Indian society. The endeavor is further bolstered by skilled camerawork that boasts of seemingly long single-takes and performances marked by sincerity. 

The final result shows authentic storytelling and offers a glimpse into a disturbing reality which can perhaps be explored further as a longer project. Needless to stay, the narrative itself is a notable one, leaving the door open for more engagement with similar thematic concerns, and their explorations vis-a-vis the most unexpected, and therefore, refreshing metaphors.

Gulab Jamun | Short Film Nominee

‘Q-pid’ is a fun, effervescent conversation around a specific thing which can be a need as well as an addiction. Thus, it has the potential to be both empowering and toxic. The narrative ensures that the metaphors it employs do not let the viewer in on the object it truly discusses right until the very end, offering an entertaining turn of events in the process. A man and a woman meet in a shadowy room for a seemingly seedy deal. As the peddler arrives to deliver his goods, would it be what you expect them to be? 

The film is marked by notable camerawork and deliberate visuals that enhance it. Despite being constituted by limited means, it earns points for the dedication and sincerity with which the project is handled, along with the performance and the chemistry of its two actors who portray the undercurrents that define their relationship with ease.

Q-pid | Short Film Nominee

Completely devoid of any dialogue or verbal exchanges, the film presents a story of two unlikely characters - a young school-girl, and her bully who waylays her every day. He eats her tiffin, reducing the poor girl to misery and tears. She tries everything within her might to fight back but to little avail. 

One day, in the most unexpected manner, she discovers a truth about his life that completely changes her approach to the situation. A single act of kindness leads to an important development soon after. Further portrayed by a notable performance from its youngest cast member, a story of empathy, and friendship comes into being once the masks slip off, underlines the film.

Mukhosh-Chorit: The Mask Saga | Short Film Nominee

Solitude adopts an experimental approach to delve deep into the concept of isolation and emptiness. The film uses overbearing visuals and sounds to represent the state of mind of its protagonist. Amongst the vast and overpowering nature, he appears minuscule, trivial even, allowing the scene to resonate with the solitude he experiences. 
Far in the barren lands where silence prevails and heavy winds blow, the protagonist sits and contemplates on his newly painted, steel chair. Metaphors are employed within this plane of abstraction to present forth an engagement with the ideas of loneliness. Additionally, due to the title of the film, the premise is taken a step further and is tied with the romanticizing of loneliness as solitude. However, where does one end and the other begin? Is one desirable while the other meant only for rejection? The narrative invokes all of these questions for the viewer to ponder upon.

Solitude | Short Film Nominee

A girl is tightly sealing a nondescript box to perhaps hide or store it away somewhere. It is soon revealed that she is trying to get rid of this seemingly indestructible object which somehow keeps finding its way back into her life. As the protagonist finds herself facing failure after failure, the short film employs no dialogue, but only the drama developing on screen, to share its intentions with you. The box becomes a metaphor for those past memories of her life that weigh her down. While she attempts to get rid of them repeatedly, the viewer is allowed a glimpse into her futile endeavor.

A Secret | Short Film Nominee

The short narrative locates itself within a space of abstraction, employing metaphors and symbolism as its primary tools to portray its intentions for the viewer. Essentially, the plot wants to be a conversation on freedom, and the manner in which it gets tied with existence, its many confines and the eventual release from it. All of it is attempted an engagement by way of visuals of a caged bird, a fish within a glass bowl and the recurring image of a woman. The palette remains monochromatic, the narrative devoid of any dialogue, as the final result completes the endeavor of sharing its thoughts with you.

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