‘Ayak’’s world is constructed with a controlled, and steady hand, taking the viewer into the story gradually, but irrevocably. The sustained pace ensures that even though the dialogue in the film is frugal, you are deeply invested in the fate of the protagonist. Manu has arrived at the Forest of Chithari to perform an age-old ritual that takes place every twenty years. 

The forest is not only the abode of innumerable secrets and unsaid things, but also of forces far beyond Manu’s comprehension. The story that began in ancient Egypt, is about to come to fruition with his arrival for the ritual. Ayak, or the potion that unites one with the gods, is soon presented to him in the most unlikely circumstances. 

As the events unfold, the film puts forth a narrative that is quiet, but stern. It employs no sudden thrills or jump scares to unsettle the viewer, and still ensures that it remains disconcerting throughout. The visuals of the vast expanses enhance it manifold, as do the smooth edit and the screenplay. The seamless weaving of all of these elements allows 'Ayak' to become a beautiful final result that is not simply defined by mystery or thrill, but also by an element of fantasy and something terrible awaiting right around the corner.

Ayak | Short Film of the Year

‘Urvarit’ (Remaining) takes you into its world slowly, but definitively. At the film's opening, we are presented with a moment that is already fully-formed. It is the aftermath of a death, locating the characters as well as the viewer in the heart of all that follows thereafter. 
Sharada, an aging woman, has lost her partner of many years. While she braces herself for the life of loneliness that will ensue, a life which still carries the very specific markers of what it was when she shared it with her husband, from an empty bed to a forgotten pair of slippers, her family of two sons and daughter-in-laws has already started making preparations for the rituals, formalities and other worldly duties that need to be taken care of. 

As much as the narrative is marked by the constant conversation of the said family members, it is also marked by Sharada’s silence and lack of participation in it all. In the process, the film offers a nuanced comment on loss, grief, but above all, on the shape existence acquires for those who get left behind in the wake of death.

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