The year 2020 ensured an end, even though temporary, to several forms of performing arts. As theatres were shut down, this most unfortunate development brought with it despair and a sense of despondency that entrenched its roots deep within the heart of those who lived for the stage and all that it carried within itself. The short film employs poetry to portray one such experience. The visuals are marked by the emptiness of a theatre which now lies silent and lifeless, unsure of the path ahead. The voiceover is expert and skilled, and thereby enriches the narrative further, allowing it to communicate its message in a lucid, impactful manner.

Shunya Prayog | 2020 Film Challenge

The short film follows the trajectory of a young man who, after being exhausted of being quarantined in a locked down world, finds a capability and skill in himself he had perhaps not engaged with earlier. Soon follows a new path which further ushers in previously unexplored possibilities of artistic expression and performance.

Lockdown Show | Short Film Nominee

The film is the story of a woman who has deprioritized her dreams for a life of duties and responsibilities. It is interesting to see a narrative talk of a character’s passions and hopes that are not simply confined to her family, despite the love and affection she has for them. The protagonist, Kavitha, is portrayed as a person of her own even in the face of all her responsibilities. 

As all Savitha Sastry films, the highlight of this one too remains the dance sequences which truly ensure you are unable to take your eyes off the screen. However, it does take flight from the films so far in the manner in which it touches upon a Western dance form, even if briefly. The story also endeavors to conjure lighthearted humor, along with drama and a sweet portrayal of the support of a loving family. While the writing and the narratorial progression could have been smoother, the film remains sincere and honest in everything that it offers.

Arangetram | Short Film Nominee

The narrative of the film employs only the words of a spoken performance to bring to life an engagement with love and the many aspects that constitute it. From its several forms to consequences to ramifications to meanings, it conjures them all in a high-paced, calculated manner, using a skilled voiceover. This is further achieved by employing nothing, but single words thrown at the viewer rapidly one after the other. Names are invoked (Vincent? Orlando?). Emotions are spoken of, sentiments are allowed an expression, and in this manner, the narrative is given a structure of a beginning, middle and end, all the while only conversing with the numerous meanings of the word 'love'. The film also earns brownie points as an inclusive endeavour for the second half of the narrative is then conveyed entirely through sign language.

L For... | Short Film Nominee

The short film is notable for the performance it presents to the viewer in the form of a voiceover as well as bodily movements, along with its writing which exhibits potential. It is these elements that come to constitute the entirety of the film. However, a want in the department of visuals keeps it from being all that it could have been.

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