Pearl of the Desert is a documentary film set in the beautiful barren expanse of the Thar desert and is about a
community of lower class Muslims Manganiyars. Historically marginalised and forced into depending on
their patrons for sustenance, Manganiyars are musicians and are mostly found in weddings and other ceremonies, playing to an indifferent crowd. 

The Manganiyars cut their crops (opium usually) while singing songs
passed down from rich oral traditions, while their children play kabaddi and sing Bollywood
songs. It is clear as day that the traditions are endangered, of either being stunted or being
forgotten. However the film does not take such a simplistic stance on the subject. Instead, it is
focused on Moti Khan, a gifted child, determined to make a career in music, despite all the social injustices and systematic oppression that afflict his community. 
The masterfully made film begins with Moti's mesmerising voice against the visual of a seemingly endless
desert. He practices his singing with his father. Early in the film, he skips school to sing, only
to be scolded by his father (in perfect meter and immaculate rhythm.)
<h2>The cinematically shot film would almost make you forget it is a documentary, and perhaps, it is not one in the traditional
sense. It uses non-actors and employs interviews between them, but the camera itself is
one of the most potent storytelling devices in the film. It regularly walks off to explore the
surroundings, much like a Terrence Mallick film, enhanced further by an incomparable musicality.</h2>

The sound design of Ajith Rathore builds an unparalleled narrative out
of rustic, folk tunes with shots of sceneries that must have inspired them generations ago.
Pushpendra Singh understands the community deeply, their conversations that happen in
meter, their sensibility and their art. The intimacy created is one that is thoroughly earned. A good example here would be its gut-wrenching portrayal of a music
school for the community, along with its sage-like caretaker, that runs without funds in Berna.

<h2>The scenery is sketched across the screen as potently as the music and poetry that tie up the
film together. Loosely bound by a narrative and interesting title cards, the film explores with an
austere discipline. Stories coalesce to form a narrative of the Manganiyars. </h2>
There is no right way to protect a culture. The Manganiyars desperately keep the traditions alive
through their own sheer will. Moti refuses to go to school to pursue music, despite his father's
apprehensions, while his uncle plays at wedding ceremonies. The school at Berna tries to
preserve age-old songs in books as the text threatens to fade away from their yellow pages. 
The film also explores art in freedom and art as a performance. Moti is an immaculate singer in
the open, under the sky sitting on a mound in the desert but he sings off key in ensembles and
studios. Pearl of the Desert's story is ultimately about music, and how it affects the
Manganiyars. 
They believe themselves to be destined to be subservient. Pride is a taboo for them, like many
other artists. Perhaps it is so ingrained in them that they will never change their art, never
revolutionise it. It may have preserved the art, but the artists never quite grew as much as they
should have. And that is the quiet tragedy of the film. 
Written by Nimish K Sharma

Pearl of the Desert | Screening | Pushpendra Singh

The video is the most surreal splash of colours, light and movement thrown in together in a carefully crafted manner. The visuals are supplemented with a psychedelic score which further allows the narrative to maintain its tone and vibe. Needless to say, one of the biggest strengths of Blow is its stunning camerawork and meticulous control on light. Not even a single shot is accidental or one which is not adding to the entire experience in some manner, ensuring that all of it comes together into a wholesome, balanced product. Additionally, the visuals ooze a visceral sensuality which results in it being a far more engaging interaction with its audience than it would have been otherwise. On the whole, the video is a dreamy, unpredictable ride for the viewer to gauge from one transition to another, enjoying the process of getting more and more involved with every passing moment.

Blow | Short Film of the Day

If one were to put it simply, the film is an engagement with the deepest human desire (need?) to find their roots, and to feel loved and a sense of belonging. Be it in the form of a forbidden romance that truly makes you feel like yourself, or seeking closure for a lost memory, to rekindle it to lead to a brighter future, the desire to find and nurture yourself is undeniable, even in the face of all adversity and obstacles, underlines the narrative. By invoking two parallel plot lines, of the past and the present, and bringing to life two generations on screen, the film shares this story with the viewer in Tanisha Rai's notable voice. The thematic concerns are heard loudly and clearly for the audience to experience and participate in, allowing Baba's Black Sheep to become a wholesome, wonderful film, leaving the door open with promise of more such products by the team. The film, however, would have benefited from closer attention to its sound.

Baba's Black Sheep | Short Film of the Month

The colour palette is soft, the vocals soothing and the music just right - this is what the new Prateek Kuhad video offers. Though the song is an old one, the video is the latest offering by the Cold Mess singer. The video opens with a possibly love-struck protagonist trying out a tune on different instruments. The visuals are structured around the same physical space, visited by different characters and moods. As the narrative progresses, it touches upon several things - falling in love, separation, the grief of losing someone. The closing shot is of a lonely Kuhad, standing all by himself, very unlike the conclusion the viewer may have led to expect by the vocals and sound. Kuhad is his honest, endearingly awkward self in the video, much like an Ed Sheeran of the East. Watch it on a quiet, sombre evening, preferably with a little rain pattering on the window, and you won't be disappointed.

With You/For You | Short Film of the Day

With an intense colour palette of crimson and a sound aesthetic of the EDM genre, Jungli Warrior is about reclaiming your space and feeling comfortable in your own skin. Released as part of Monica Dogra's latest EP, Seeing Red, the song will definitely catch your attention for its music, vocals and visuals of Indian ghats and fares. Borrowing several symbols from Hinduism and traditional Indian asceticism, it follows three women in different but linked locations, with the trio being led by a stunning Dogra. The song is deliberately shot and performed in a surreal manner with sounds and colours bleeding into each other. This is perhaps also something that will make it stay with you long after you're done watching and listening to it.

Jungli Warrior | Short Film of the Day

The music video stands out significantly for the effort and sincerity it ropes in to brings its vision to life. The endeavor presents to us a passionate protagonist who is immensely aware of the many flaws and evils of society, and its inherent systems and institutions. 

Through a voice that will not be silenced, he questions them, and ensures that he raises a furore that draws in more and more voices within its fold. As his ideology resounds with supporters, those who are also languishing under the overpowering, overwhelming system, he finds himself getting louder and louder... until, the iron-clasp of the custodians of power tightens again. 

From a solitary, marginalized voice, which is perhaps even dismissed as the ramblings of a mad man, to invincible leadership located at the heart of a community - the music video covers the entire distance. At the same time, the journey remains equipped with music and energized choreographed performances all along.

Secret Acts of the Dark | Short Film Nominee

The music video, Panixiya, opens with a young woman, dressed in the traditional Assamese attire of sador-mekhela, peacefully gazing at a fish in a big bowl of water. She moves inside her mud house and transfers the fish to a smaller bucket. The bucket and its companion travel to calm waters, through the green lands and village roads as a woeful voice sings in the background. The sad, rhythmic melody talks of a pained life, one constituted by umpteen mistakes, distant relationships and unfulfilled emotions. 

Through the notable vocals, tied effortlessly with the visuals unfolding before you, the narrative endeavors a story about existence and its relationship with the human soul, the many struggles that confine and threaten to consume it and its relentless efforts to push through, even when all seems lost and overwhelmed by despair. With no direct translation in the English language, the title of the film thus becomes an evocation of a philosophy which views the fish as our mortal coil swimming in the endless, unpredictable, unknown waters of existence.

Panixiya | Short Film of the Day

The film is an endearing romance, marked by all the highs and lows of a love story, between two characters, Varun and Anjali. It opens with heartache, as well as Varun’s struggle to deliver on an important work deadline. He’s a musician whose career depends on a very big break which has, unfortunately, coincided with his breakup. As we are taken deeper into Varun’s many troubles, the narrative comes into existence, invoking humor, dilemmas, compulsions and some more. The chemistry of the couple is definitely notable, as is the manner in which the story is structured and presented as a whole. Additionally, song and music make an appearance because, after all, it is the story of a musician’s life. This eventually also becomes the sturdy thread that finally ties the film's many components together in a complete manner.

Love, Anjali | Short Film Nominee

The film gives the impression of being set in a different, slower, solemn time. Accordingly, there
is no talk in it. It is only after seven minutes that the first exchange takes place. Until then,
a person or a voice only speaks to be heard, not to be spoken to. The film is then, a work that wants to be
watched, followed and accompanied. 
A man is looking for a house. He is carrying a yellow-coloured letter (holudh cheethi) with him. There’s money he wishes to give
to the housemate. 
A subtle conundrum looms in the story which the narrative is in no hurry to solve or simplify. It is only towards
the very end that the mist begins to clear.

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