The film does a skilled job of conjuring its atmosphere with both a peppy background score and stylistic decisions. The story itself is complete with financial burdens, familial conflict, and above all, a random, absurd development that completely alters the fate of the protagonist. 

A series of unlikely elements come to overlap one afternoon. The disgruntled protagonist, after immense emotional and familial strife, has turned up at his regular fishing haunt which disappoints him every day. However, today he finds something strange. Unfortunately, this discovery is also coupled with two uninvited onlookers, and thus, follows a complete unraveling of events. In the process, the film offers an entertaining and engrossing end result, maintaining its tone and approach throughout.

Bangude | Short Film Nominee

The narrative does a notable job of invoking several elements and thematic concerns - childhood trauma, mental illness, battles with medication, sexual exploitation - and engages with each of them adequately. The story is of Titir, Mithi and Tirtha, childhood friends who were separated from each other by a terribly tragic event. Even though their paths may have crossed again in adulthood, their equation is far from what it used to be. 

Plagued by the many travails of time, both Mithi and Tirtha battle their own personal demons as well. The portrayal of this friendship becomes the preoccupation of the film. The film further utilizes poetry and symbolism to enhance itself, eventually leaving the viewer with a meaningful story of malice, loss, but also friendship, and loyalty.

Sleeping Pills | Short Film Nominee

The short film follows the life of Shikhar who has a history of intense domestic abuse meted out to him by an alcoholic parent. The father, Mahesh, would abuse both Shikhar and his mother in the harshest, cruelest of ways, leaving the protagonist not only with visible scars, but also an immense emotional burden to carry forth in his life. 
Memories of decades long abuse and trauma still ensure that Shikhar's present is not devoid of distress. Details and objects like an ink blot, tea spills, a pocket watch, all come to play crucial roles in this aspect. At the same time, he has also developed an eye for identifying signs of struggle, and responding to the unheard call for help. The aforementioned elements are eventually tied together with a supernatural ability of the protagonist that the viewer is gradually introduced to. 
Amidst it, however, darker and unsettling revelations simmer under the surface, waiting to be unearthed at the right moment. All of this allows the narrative to reach a truly disconcerting conclusion for the audience to then interact with.

Imprints | Short Film Nominee

Trigger warning: self-harm 
A deeply troubled man stands before a noose, about to take his life by suicide when the most unexpected stranger runs into him. Once the suicide attempt is halted, an entirely new conversation ensues. The man, Aditya, who has completely given up on life, is engaged in an exchange by the stranger, Abhinav, who makes him question the folly of his decision, with the reminder of the pain and grief that would be left behind if he ends his life. 

The writing of the film, and particularly Aditya’s character, brings in a sense of having been betrayed by others, lied to by your loved ones who either only pretend to care, or simply dismiss with toxic positivity when one begins to share their sorrow with them. 

The performances of the two actors are smooth and free-flowing, allowing the screenplay to exhibit clarity and earnestness. Even if the narrative comes to be marked by a certainty of development, the points it presents remain extremely emphatic and relevant, pronouncing a very important message about mental health.

Is That You? | Short Film Nominee

‘Inni’ is a very sincere endeavor of a young team that exhibits deep promise. The story is about one night of absolute chaos that includes violence, assault, murder, rape, and four characters, , Indra, Inamika, Pratap and Nisha, located at the heart of it all. As the investigating officers get to the business of cracking this case and finding the true culprit, the narrative invokes loss, regret, malice, cruelty, and an element of song and music to embellish the story. 
It also does a notable job of keeping the viewer guessing, and therefore engaged, throughout about who the true culprit is. The writing and visuals evidence skill, even if the casting of the actors exhibits a few hits and misses.
The film, however, remains marked by its storytelling and the intentions to weave it all together as a composite, balanced whole.

Inni | Short Film Nominee

Loosely based on a true event, ‘Aarzi’ invokes a sense of transitoriness in its title. The same sentiment becomes the guiding force of the film. The story locates itself in a pandemic-stricken world where the loss of life and loved ones has overwhelmed our reality. Two parallel narratives develop side by side in the film. A mother-daughter duo relaxes at home, while a couple battles bereavement on their way back home from assumedly a funeral. 

The film does an intelligent job of keeping these realities separate until the very moment when an overlap provides the crux of the story. In the process, the viewer’s attention is drawn to the horrifying migrant crisis of India which left hundreds of thousands of daily laborers stranded with no shelter or refuge.

Aarzi | Short Film Nominee

The year is 2022 when Aditi moves to Delhi for professional reasons. Things are going well for her which is why on her first weekend, she decides to unwind and heads out to explore the city. In the most unexpected ways, her path soon crosses with a photographer called Keshav, and the two quickly strike a friendship. 

What begins as a potential romance, however, soon takes a disturbing turn when not only is Aditi unable to reach Keshav, but also finds his memory card full of photos of every moment she spent ever since setting foot in Delhi. 

The entire narrative unfolds as a flashback from five years ago. Aditi is now located in 2027. As the two realities are eventually linked and explained, the plot is weaved with sincerity. It keeps the viewer engaged in the fate of the protagonist until the final revelation when all doubt is dispelled, and the title of the film and the ideas it stands for, are all explained for the audience.

Chitrr | Short Film Nominee

The film opens with a scene of an innocent, sweet romance when a couple is about to celebrate their first anniversary. However, the plot soon develops to present a space that is far from that. Instead, it is marked by dysfunctionality and a deeply toxic equation. 

Ram and Ahalya meet to cut the cake along with a group of friends and things quickly go south from there, reaching a point from where there is no return. Ahalya walks out in the face of open harassment, but would she find it in her to leave her extremely problematic boyfriend behind? 

With the help of its performances, screenplay, and the overall production value, the film explores this question, presenting to the viewer the myriad of dysfunctional things and harmful behaviors people are capable of subjecting one another to, as well as themselves, in the name of ‘love’.

Amor | Short Film Nominee

It's important to get the structuring of the narrative completely right if the attempt is to invoke horror. The short film comes very close to hitting the nail on the head, the resultant effect realised primarily because of a seamless edit. While the film will disorient the viewer, whether or not they are fans of horror, it would have still benefited from a shorter length. A note of ambiguity sometimes works better for a product of this genre. On the whole, the film is an aspirational attempt which goes a long distance in reaching the goal it had set out to achieve.

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