Remember the last time when someone came up to you to share a joke? We don't remember it either. However there indeed was a time, before the emoticon apocalypse and the fall of face-to-face conversations, when people shared jokes with each other in person. 'Laugh' is a short film which pines for that past, lamenting the deep infestation of technology in our lives where all our laughter has been reduced to "rofl" and "lol". With the most authentic performances by the likes of Sanjay Misra, Sheeba Chaddha, Vrajesh Hirjee and Brijendra Kala, the short film longs for a time when conversations were not confined to a mundane screen.

Laugh | Short Film of the Day

The biggest strength of Tower lies in the approach and tonality it adopts to share its narrative. The narrative itself, it should be noted, offers an impactful conversation around a serious environmental concern, using a very unlikely circumstance - the love story of a cow-herder in a corner of rural India. 


While we may have established the protagonist's location to be a 'rural corner', thanks to the rampant spread of technological advances, even this small village is seeing its fair share of change in the form of cellular services and their accompanying towers.  


Parshuram, or as he is better known in his village, Phalya,  spends the majority of his time either in the fields with his young friend, Jaygya (a naughty, Tinkerbell-esque presence), or navigating and admiring the beauty of birds in his vicinity. Every morning, as Phalya strolls through the expanse, a red bus stops to reveal to the audience his childhood crush, Manju, sitting by the window. Alongside Phalya and Manju's love story, another narrative is developing, one about the disappearance of birds from the former's village.  



After conversing for hours on phone calls, the two eventually decide to meet. Following the rendezvous and a conversation about Manju's academic matters, a startling and concerning revelation is made. As the protagonist decides to eradicate the root cause of the dwindling bird population, the constant push and pull between nature and technology is conjured for the viewer. In the process, the film raises a resounding question - has centuries of co-existence been disrupted beyond repair by the advent of modern technology and  human activities? At the end of it all, the many elements of the plot are eventually tied together with a strangely heartwarming and uplifting message that ensures that the story concludes with an important comment about the responsibility of each of us towards the world we live in, a statement that will stay with you long after you're done watching the film.

Tower | Short Film of the Year

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

Against the hinterland of 2014 rural India, when it is still untouched by technology and the internet, and is instead marked by child marriages and walls covered with social messaging about covered toilets, the film allows its narrative to develop. One morning, three school boys (who choose to refer to their eleventh grade school as 'college', a notably authentic touch to the story), find a smartphone. As a scuffle ensues regarding the ownership of the phone, the desire for internet has also begun to stretch its limbs in their imagination. While the story is still establishing its premise, a new girl comes into the village and is soon the inhabitant of the only house with a wireless internet connection in the area. The film, marked by its lovely visuals and camerawork, allows the WiFi at her house to be the common pin that holds the entire plot together. It is also the pivot on which the film rotates, bringing in several emotions - of friendship, young love, loyalty, mischief and an eventual acceptance. It is fresh and contemporary of the right kind in its premise, sincere in its attempt to localise the story and successful in tying all of these elements together in an organic, cohesive narrative.

WiFi | 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 Perfect Match is a short film about the extent of the deep infestation of technology in our lives. The concept of the film has immense potential, yet it fails to be remarkable. It could be due to a low production quality in part. However that aspect can be accounted for by the fact that The Perfect Match was an entry in the 50 Hour Challenge of the India Film Project. Given the short duration for the execution, the film definitely becomes worth a watch.

The Perfect Match | Short Film of the Day

A woman arrives at a house to be greeted by a welcoming father. However, this is not a usual meeting between two family members, her furtive glances at her phone screen convey that. The apparent lack of the age difference between the two further asserts the unease that is gradually becoming inherent to the circumstance. 
The plot develops to reveal the role of technology in simulating a reality that once was, allowing Sia to revisit her past. In the process, a conversation on loss, grief, longing, and the need to eventually move on is presented to the viewer. Even if the production value of the end result is slightly hindered by the sound and a smattering of inconsistent visuals, the story throughout remains marked by a gentle quietness and sincerity of thought.

Mulaqaat | Short Film Nominee

With truth as the primary preoccupation of the narrative, the film introduces us to Meisha, a girl who had found herself in the way of her father’s science experiment as a child, that eventually reduced her existence to that of a strange being. Unable to digest food or continue a regular life in any form, she survives solely on the radiation of other devices. At the same time, this life of isolation is further tied with secrets from the past, along with her father’s sudden and unexpected death in an accident years ago. 

As the viewer is taken deeper into Meisha’s life, and introduced to her sole friend and companion, Dhruv, a story of thrill and action develops. Though the film loses points in terms of its sound, and consequently, in the seamlessness of some of the performances, there is a dedicated endeavor of weaving an engaging story, and it would be interesting to see how it develops in subsequent parts of the film. Additionally, Snower Sania Vasudev as Meisha definitely remains an unmissable presence amidst it all.

Fidelity | Short Film Nominee

From the 50 Hour Filmmaking Challenge of the India Film Project comes yet another offering in the form of Digikal. The film is an easy narrative about the presence of technology in the lives of two generations. The juxtaposition of the near-absence in one to the deeply entrenched roots in the other is done in an endearing manner. It is further backed by an upbeat, catchy score which makes the film an enjoyable watch. If there is endless wandering in the afternoon sun on the one hand, there is simply clicking a few times from the comfort of your home on the other. Short, sweet and relatable - that is perhaps how Digikal can be most aptly described.

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