A common thread for all successful romance stories are the nuances and subtleties that are employed in telling them. Among its other strengths, this is the first thing Kaande Pohe captures most effortlessly. Add to it convincing performances and chemistry, and there is little that can go wrong. The scene is set for a meeting between two families for the arranged marriage of their children. This in itself is not an entirely unique subject matter for a short film. However, when the film manages to still tell its story in a completely new fashion, it deserves all the brownie points. It is further a comment on the deep infestation of technology, smartphones and social media in every aspect of our lives. 
 While the previous generation, or as the internet would call them, "boomers", fail to understand the charm of these modern values, seemingly in direct contrast with the sanskaar that is expected of a young woman preparing to get married, the millennials have decided to sink their heels deep into the ground, refusing to budge. With its lovely colour palettes, calm storytelling and honesty in building the narrative, the film is the warm fuzzies you need this Valentine's Week.

Kaande Pohe | Short Film of the Day

Earlier this year, of the many internet gems that graced our virtual chats, there was a video of a middle-aged Indian man, a figure (soon to be fondly known as Dabbu uncle within the realm of the internet) we are all too-familiar-with dancing to the Bollywood song Aap Ke Aa Jane Se. Picking up from there, the eponymous short film weaves an endearing and heartwarming narrative about a man, Rammo Babu's life who finds himself at the centre of unexpected attention when a video of him dancing at a wedding goes viral. 
Unable to make much sense of this era of smartphones and WhatsApp forwards, Rammo Babu lives a simple life. He sells sarees with a single-minded devotion to his job, drops his children to school every morning and ensures he always turns up for his family, driving them around sandwiched on a two wheeler. Manu Rishi Chadha as Rammo Babu would completely win you over with the disarming vulnerability he brings to life in the film. The performance is tied with an organic and smooth progression of events within the plot, ensuring that it succeeds at striking all the right chords with the audience. 
Additionally, the film does a notable job of portraying the many nuances and subtle realities of a middle class household where it is only the simple joys that often suffice in making someone’s day. It is precisely in achieving this, among other things, that the film’s true success lies.

Aap Ke Aa Jane Se | Short Film of the Day

The film is rightly titled The Ride for what a ride it is! Essentially, the premise is defined by the collision of two unlikely strangers shooting an Instagram Reel. However, within it rest several thematic concerns that bring to life a conflict between passion and practical, professional demands. It invokes the idea of virality, something that has given rise to a new currency in the contemporary world. If you do manage to accumulate a significant amount of the same, irrespective of your disdain for the medium, an important realization awaits you - that you are not as impervious to its charms as you thought. The film begins with a ride that Arjun is sharing with his colleague, one who is about to break to him a bitter news - he has been fired from his job from their agency due to his inability to deliver Reel videos according to the client's wishes. And yet, at the heels of all the despair, a pivotal development follows. Leaving this world of advertising and corporate control behind in his colleague's car, Arjun now steps into the colorful shadows of an auto whose shimmer refuses to be dulled (even in the face of Arjun's explicit request to turn off the glaring light). This marks the protagonist's journey away from his comfort zone of order and fixed ideas about creativity. It is what lies on the other side of this experience that conveys the film's core message, tying all of the aforementioned thematic concerns with an uplifting sense of hope.

The Ride | Short Film of the Month

How far are you willing to go for social media fame? With this question at its core, the short film introduces us to the life of an aspiring influencer who gets fixated on the idea of securing a million views for his next video. In the process, the narrative becomes a pertinent comment on people's obsession with virtual glory, to the extent of dismissing, ignoring and even completely rejecting those around them who do not fully comprehend or understand it. As his father struggles with household chores and financial troubles, our protagonist is found consumed by his own obsession, rage towards a father who failed to secure enough money for a family member's medical treatment, thereby failing his family, and his deep disdain for the traditional route of stable employment. While this desire to finally create a viral video continues to grow disproportionately, hand-in-hand with absolute disregard for more pressing, immediate, practical concerns, a deeply disconcerting development awaits in the narrative. Will the protagonist truly manage to secure a million views, and even if he does, at what cost will this goal be finally achieved?

Clickbait | Short Film of the Month

If there was only one thing that you had to know about this film, know that it's one of Sayani Gupta's best performances till date. Even if there's nothing else which you like about the film (highly unlikely), you still won't be disappointed. The narrative, crafted intelligently, is of a delivery girl taking care of her unwell mother who's in the village. One day when she has had enough of the tantrums of a boy who has treated her rudely on multiple occasions, she attacks him and ties him to a chair, holding him captive in his own house. As the story progresses, it takes the viewer deeper into the struggles of the two protagonists. If it has taken the form of violence for one, it is expressed in the form of insecurities for the other. The film holds back no punches and delivers a satisfying and entertaining product.

Shameless | Short Film of the Day

This short film gives us a glimpse into the life of a character we all may have encountered at some point. He is patriotic, but does this patriotism extend beyond social media? Is it simply confined to a desire to be self-righteous and judge others? One Day Mataram, in no indirect terms, draws the viewer's attention to the irony of someone who makes loud proclamations of his love for the country on social media, but in his personal life, the truth is far from it. Will this film offend the viewer or make them realise the hypocrisy and double standards of many around them (or perhaps themselves)? That's anyone's guess.

One Day Mataram | Short Film of the Day

Media often offers a very tiresome portrayal of old people, reducing them to frail, feeble beings with little personality beyond that of chronic illnesses or existential despair. Consequently, when a film appears with a protagonist advanced in her age, but marked by the zest and verve that could be characteristic of anyone at any age, it is a fresh breath of air, to say the least. It is indeed heartwarming, and entertaining, to be introduced to a grandmother who decides to take matters in her own hands when her teenaged granddaughter seemingly avoids spending time with her. Our protagonist brings in the aid of technology to learn a thing or two about the smartphone era. While a regular internet user might be all too familiar with it, to the extent of having conditioned themselves into accepting it as the norm, experiencing it from the point of view of an outsider is truly the hilarious, eccentric and revelatory journey you would want to embark on. Additionally, when the granny has finally reached her intended destination, will she still have as much time as before to spend with her granddaughter? The narrative presents forth an answer in the most endearing manner.

Granny Wannabe | Short Film of the Day

The short film presents a sharp, unabashed look into the world of fake news and the many ways technology is manipulated and employed for the vested interests of political parties and their associated communities. However, the approach adopted to portray all of this is defined not by moral didacticism, but instead by notable performances, poetry and honesty towards the message it wants to share. 

Beyond the emphatic condemnation of the deluge of fake news plaguing society in the most destructive ways, the film maintains a deliberate objective stance, ensuring to not blame a specific community, party, religion or individual. At some points within the story, the narrative is no more than a fly on the wall, simply presenting characters from varying sides of the ideological spectrum. 

Despite losing a few points when it comes to sound dubbing, the film does its bit to further the conversation on a very compelling issue, especially in a highly polarized world, when it is extremely important to call a spade a spade without jumping on bandwagons.

मेमे  (Meme) | Short Film of the Day

The story opens and closes with a suggestion of social media, an unmissable presence that will come to pervade the entire plot in a subtle manner. It is the distance that the film covers in between that endeavors to horrify and shock the viewer. This is supplemented by the portrayal of primarily one development - the arrival of a book at the protagonist’s doorstep. It is a cozy, wintery night, the lights are dim, the room warm, and yet, it soon becomes apparent that something sinister lurks underneath this image of domesticity. Even though the film loses some points when it comes to lighting, it remains equipped with elements of storytelling that will engage and involve the viewer all along.

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