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

'Bridge' is not quick to reveal the truth of its world to you, and deliberately so. At first glance, it only offers a sense of unease, presented to us by a disoriented protagonist trying to gain his bearings. 

On this dark night, he meets strange characters - a terrified woman in the middle of nowhere, a man who is neck-deep in communal hate and violence and now wishes to barter his soul for a do-over in life, along with a famous musician. 

At the same time, the one man who could have removed him from this strange setting, a rickshaw puller, continues to ignore his very existence. The narrative moves forth, leaving subtle hints and suggestions regarding the direction it is headed in. The writing truly allows the plot to come into its own, eventually offering the film's core comment on existence, humanity and the mortal nature of life.

Bridge | Short Film Nominee

A woman, dressed in an all-white attire, dances on a road in the darkness of the night. She is lit by a bright light which further adds a sense of dissonance to the whole setting, very much deliberate as is conveyed by the rest of the narrative. The dance continues, further asserting a sense of freedom and liberation until the reality of the film is revealed. 

When the moment arrives, the film presents the binary of the body and the soul where while one had once relinquished in captivity, the other is now set free, of darkness and light, of life and death itself. If on the one hand, there is an image of the end and incapacitation, on the other is one of a soaring flight. The performance shows skill and effort, as does the thought employed to portray it all.

The First Rain | Short Film Nominee

A hiking and camping enthusiast, known throughout the film as the Pilgrim, leaves his humble abode in the serene, milky depths of hills in search of the answer to an important question. In his journey to the Kumbh mela, he is joined by a chance companion he finds en route. 
As they converse, we learn about a life of alcoholism, the road to sobriety, trysts with meditation and the sum total of all of these events in the form of the protagonist's current existence. The ensuing unsaid understanding and companionship between the two promises a newer perspective of the world and acts as an unconscious guide in the protagonist's endeavor to achieve the answer he seeks. 

Despite the constantly changing physical backdrops, the final result of the short film essentially becomes a series of conversations - between two people, another with the character and the self, and lastly, one between the narrative and the viewer. 
There is the desire and attempt to engage with philosophical underpinnings, questions which are raised by the protagonist himself for the audience's benefit. There is sincerity as well in interacting with all of these concerns. The narrative comes across more as the first steps, albeit taken in the right direction, at the start of their journey in the current moment and in its present form. It is undoubtedly a welcome prospect to have further explorations of the thematic concerns dealt with in The Pilgrim in future projects by the team.

The Pilgrim | Short Film Nominee

The most notable aspect of the film is the story which keeps the viewer gripped throughout. A photographer finds himself in a little green patch one day, clicking pictures of children and the scenery around him. However, soon after that, strange events begin to develop, leading him to a fate darker and more morbid than he could have seen coming. The film also becomes a philosophical conversation of sorts about the nature of the human soul and our corporeal existence. Though it could have benefited from a little more control on its lighting, it exhibits a sincere attempt to make smart use of physical space and its several locations to take the viewer into two realities, and further portray how they get tied together to form the spine of the narrative as well as the plot.

Most Viewed

Genres

Awards

Follow Us

Quick Links