No Smoking is a short film with a powerful message. As the title suggests, it has a word of caution against smoking and actors like Sunny Leone and Deepak Dobriyal have gotten on board to get it across. The script involves humour, crisp writing, and leaves the viewer with the satisfaction of not having wasted even a single second on an extra shot. The tightness of the narrative is further complemented with effortless comedy timing. No Smoking concludes with an almost complete absence of any dialogues towards the end, yet with an emphatic message that hits home hard.

No Smoking | Short Film of the Day

When the film opens, it gives you little to no idea of the direction it is headed in. The narrative deliberately keeps you unaware of its core intentions as it portrays an evening in the life of its protagonist. After hanging up a call with an unknown caller, he prepares to unwind with a plate of food and eventually, a cigarette. Without saying much or relying too heavily on dialogues, the film further introduces us to the protagonist's unease with smoking, perhaps also suggesting his awareness of the damage he is doing to himself. And yet, there is not any change in his actions. He enjoys one drag after another, all the while giving you a glimpse into his internal conflict, and eventually goes to bed, leaving you with a powerful image that explains and justifies the film's title. The story and its treatment exhibit potential, albeit along with a want of better control on its lights and shadows, leaving the door open with the possibility of more similar work by the team.

White Sheet | Short Film Nominee

The film is a hilarious account of a man trying to find himself a quiet corner to enjoy a cigarette. Following a national ban by the government on the sale of tobacco and related products, he finds himself in a quandary of sorts which gets more and more complicated as the narrative begins to unfold. From his office prohibiting smoking to misadventures with friends that keep him away from that desired drag, the film becomes a seamless weaving together of a series of comedic moments. It is further marked by authentic performances and chemistry that ensure that the film is a fun, lighthearted and endearing watch about a man's struggle to truly achieve completion of his intention to smoke. However, even when he finally manages to procure a cigarette after what had seemed like endless endeavours, will the universe be kind enough to allow him this evasive moment of peace?

Ek Sutta | Short Film Nominee

The film has a very crucial message at its core. The manner of exploring this is horror, making the progression of events both shocking and involving for the viewer. When the protagonist, Rahul, wakes up one morning, the date on the calendar is a strange one - 31st April. Before we can ponder over this detail for too long, he is visited by his friend Pranay, and thus begins a series of even stranger events. 
An open pack of cigarettes is found mysteriously sealed. As Rahul shares a smoke with Pranay on his balcony, the doorbell rings. He opens the door to find Pranay standing at the doorstep. Things continue to build, alongside attempts to experiment with the edit, and with this progression of events, the film’s story comes into existence. 
All strange occurrences are eventually explained, alongside a deeply disturbing revelation that awaits the protagonist at the film’s conclusion.

No Smoking | Short Film Nominee

The narrative engages with several concerns that, on the surface, are about the struggles of a smoker in quarantine. However, an interesting turn of events makes it clear that the film is about much more. In its concise manner, it offers a comment on the importance of someone's financial and professional background in determining their location in society. It further goes to show how the existence of a person is reduced to that of a mere rat, notably captured in its brevity. The film, however, loses crucial points in the sound department and could have benefited from some fine-tuning of the same.

Hence a Smoker in Lockdown | Lockdown Film Challenge

‘The Missing Piece’ adopts an experimental approach to deal with a circumstance several people would be all too familiar with. All the drama in this short unfolds within the darkness of the night. 
Amidst shadows, there are a pair of impatient, rushed hands looking for something. The pursuit of this item forms the body of the final result. It is in the fate of this desperate search, and its eventual outcome that the film makes its message clear to the viewer.

The Missing Piece | Short Film Nominee

The film is a stark reminder for smokers - about how harmful this addiction can truly prove to be. Minus any dialogues and with the space of a single room, the narrative puts forth its intention and leaves the viewer with a message which is loud and clear. It is further enhanced by a notable performance by Chandan Keshav who shoulders much of the weight of the film as also its director, editor and cinematographer.

It Kills | Lockdown Film Challenge

The short film aspires for an engagement with loneliness, longing for companionship and the manner in which the two come to influence and mould each other. The story is of a kindly club bouncer who goes to his terrace every day to have a smoke. It is this activity which becomes central to the narrative as the protagonist finds himself getting tied to another person who has taken the liberty, while being apologetic and friendly, to allow themselves the use of his smoking paraphernalia on their shared terrace. Thus begins to develop an unexpected bond between two strangers linked together simply by a common habit. Soon they find themselves exchanging and sharing letters and birthday wishes. However, when they finally meet, will it truly be something that the protagonist as well as the audience might have hoped or anticipated so far? The film, equipped with an interesting story, is a product of limited resources and time constraints; a little more leeway in the two departments would have allowed it to be more than what it already is.

Most Viewed

Genres

Awards

Follow Us

Quick Links