Pivoting itself on an artistic endeavor, the Aravani Art Project, that works with the transgender community in Bangalore, the documentary urges the audience to participate in a crucial conversation. The voices that are presented are undaunted, even in the face of all the struggles and obstacles that they have already overcome, and battle still on a daily basis. 
The narrative does a notable job of not venturing into the territory of maudlin sentimentalism. Instead, it presents stories of triumph and strength, all of it achieved in a nuanced, sensitive manner. It invokes childhood toys, tokens of beauty, the hair or smile of a subject on camera, to discuss all of this and some more. 

There is also the exploration of the relationship that is shared between Bangalore and the remarkable subjects of the story. Though the end result could have been defined by a tighter narrative, it presents a conversation that is compelling and crucial.

Kathegala Kanive - The Valley of Stories | Short Film Nominee

A grandmother and a little girl take us into the world of ‘Aatman’ (spirit of the forest). The introduction is calm, but impactful, and defined by chirping birds and a gradual narration that would form the very core of the film. 
The grandmother shares the story of a hunter in a forest who is one day visited by a strange creature. In the process of sharing his story, she paints for us a space that is not marked by indiscriminate violence of a hunter preying on his surroundings, but instead by balance and sustainability, serving as a stark contrast against the effects of human activities on the environment in the real world. The grammar of the film is crisp, the visuals controlled and well-thought, and the overall tone undisturbed, all of which together allow it to present its message emphatically. There is no sentimentalism or didacticism, coupled with a utilization of metaphors and efficient storytelling that further ensure that the intentions of the narrative are communicated lucidly.

Aatman | Short Film Nominee

The short film is an endearing exploration a group of young filmmakers who are working against a tight deadline to pull a project through. It is one marked by a dearth of time, the actor forgetting his lines even after fifteen takes and the consequent hullabaloo that arises on set. The story is simply a moment in time, without the hows and whys of it. It is about hopes, dreams and the indomitable desire to express creatively. Of course the path is marked by obstacles - there are emotional hurdles to overcome, alongside technical glitches (a power outage being one), but all of them are left diminutive in the face of the unwavering will of the protagonist. While the film is a sincere attempt to tell an involving story, it offers only a single moment in a story which can be developed further, leaving the door open for the continuation of the narrative by the team.

Fade In | Short Film Nominee

Locating itself during a very pivotal moment in history, the 1947 partition of India, the short film introduces the viewer to the social milieu of the time. Using the same as the hinterland against which the narrative unfolds, the film allows its concerns to achieve a more localised, personal and intimate approach. 

 While at first glance the period drama might seem like the story of the communal tensions and the absolute chaos that ravaged the towns that were close to the soon to be mapped out India-Pakistan border, it is much more than that. It is after this realisation that the film becomes the story of an eccentric and temperamental writer who introduces us to his own stories through the dilemmas and conflicts of the characters in his mind. Their visual representation allows almost an other-worldly, surreal quality to the film. 

 As stories of entire cultures get rewritten by history, portrayed by a film whose title, Ardhviram, or semicolon, is a direct echo of something that does not denote completion in itself, where will the protagonist find himself with respect to the thoughts and experiences that consume him, as well as his personal struggles as a writer?

Ardhviram | Short Film Nominee

The short film, concise and crisp, is marked by its complete absence of dialogues. It is a glimpse into the life of a single character during the coronavirus lockdown, where his lived reality seems to have parted ways with the spoken word. Further, the visuals exhibit potential that can be explored in future projects by the filmmaker.

Textual | Lockdown Film Challenge

The sinister intentions of the film are established right from the start when it opens with the deadly
chants of Bloody Mary! Bloody Mary! Bloody Mary! 
A strange, grumpy young man is going by his day. When he returns home, he is acquainted with people
around him who call out to to warn him against saying 'Bloody Mary!' thrice. Then
they all burst into laughter, calling him a 'phattu' (coward/imbecile). 
Tormented by the constant jibes, he decides to rebel and do exactly that which is forbidden. He utters
the deadly chant, and the consequences are evil.

Chup | Short Film Nominee

The short film presents forth a complex narrative and gives an account of the life of a man, as he moves from one task to another. Mundane at first glance, all of these tasks act as motifs and eventual harbingers of what is to come. The story thus presented is not for the inattentive audience, and demands their full participation to be made sense of. However, several viewers of the film would have benefited from a little more lucidity in the narrative.

Within | Short Film Nominee

The narrative makes an economical use of dialogues to tell its story. There are two parallel plot lines - one of a storyteller, the other of his characters. The film tries to build tension and suspense using music and a different colour palette for both. While there is a sincere endeavour to use hand-held shots, the visuals would have benefited with some amount of stability. Additionally, more control over editing and colour correction would have also led to notable results. Overall, the product is an honest effort, albeit minus some fine-tuning.

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