There is something to be said, and mostly good things, about films which open on a note that is deliberately opposite of the direction they are headed in. The film is a paradigmatic example of the same. Our first introduction to the chirpy, cheery protagonist Adarsh is primarily through a phone call with his mother, who matches the same cheeriness. He is not the best at sports or academics, but that is a truth the mother is kept safe from. Instead, Adarsh paints for her a picture of popularity among his peers, and regales her with tales of his athletic success. 

 Inane white lies at first glance, simply serving to make the viewer smile, sometimes with and sometimes at the protagonist, these stories come to have a disconcerting echo on the rest of the narrative. As it progresses, and the rigmarole of lies gets more complex, an equally unsettling reality is unfolding at the mother’s end as well. 

 With only suggestions of domestic strife, and a longer glimpse into the unravelling of Adarsh’s tales, the film weaves its plot together. The storytelling is intelligent and heartfelt, the performances on point and the writing notably skilled. The final result of ‘Abey Chhod Na Yaar’ constructs for us a world of denial, and perhaps deliberate, perhaps involuntary, flights of fancy away from a reality that might sometimes be a little too hard and rough for the characters to accept as their truth.

Abey Chhod Na Yaar | Short Film of the Month

When it comes to storytelling, especially with the aid of a medium like a short film, it helps to focus on less than more. What it essentially means is that sometimes a sincere portrayal of a single moment, in the case of ‘Wing One's Way’ - a single conversation within the confines of the same room, is sufficient to make the story work.

The film achieves precisely this by taking us into a girl's dilemma who is mulling over coming out, and everything that would follow thereafter. There is something notably lovely and effortless about the two actors and their chemistry. This also marks the most pronounced aspect of the film - all the effort that has gone into making it look effortless and simple. The success of a story that is told devoid of any frills and bells, and with a consistent mellow approach to its many aspects, therefore becomes unmissable.

Wing One's Way...| Short Film of the Day

The pangs of young love are not only deep and all-consuming, but also universal. It is precisely this emotion and sentiment which allows the film a relatability for the viewer as it introduces them to the tribulations of two teenaged lovers. Students of a boarding school, it is now time for them to part ways and say their goodbyes as they graduate from the institution. The film invokes a sweet, endearing story by weaving together the painful, disappointing present with the wonderful memories of the past. It further allows an organic pace to the climax, to let the pain and fear of separation become a character in itself. However, just when all might seem lost for the young lovers, can a reversal of fate wriggle its way into their story?

Kashti | Short Film Nominee

Teen years of a person's life can be a very confusing time with exposure to many things being encountered for the first time. The short film has the same premise as it takes the viewer into the life of a teenaged boy, trying to understand different aspects of his life. From daily concerns of his school to those of his peers and parents, he finds himself preoccupied with several things. As he navigates all of these befuddling, novel elements, he is presented with the opportunity to try an intoxicant which alters his reality in a significant manner. The film makes a dedicated attempt to convey the psychedelic nature of the substance and the mental state of the protagonist in an experimental manner. The screen is smeared with different colours and hues as he is chased by masked characters from his life. However, what truly lies for him at the end of this chase - clarity or more doubts?

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