WINNER, GENDER SENSITIVITY AWARD

SPECIAL SCREENING

OFFICIAL SELECTION - SATYAJIT RAY SHORT FILM COMPETITION

NOMINATION - BEST MOVIE NON FICTION

OFFICIAL SELECTION

Authentic, unique and extremely entertaining - the latest offering by filmmaker Devashish Makhija is surely all of this, and much more. The narrative takes us into the friendship of three women and portrays the myriad ways in which it gets tied with sexuality, loyalty, looking out for one another and lastly, but also quite importantly - the big O of a woman's life. 



The execution of the plot, which is marked by an element of magical realism, also attains a surreal quality as it presents itself to the viewer. The true triumph of the film, however, lies in the fact that the engagement with its concerns is carried out in a notably effortless manner, tying itself with the filmmaker's own comments about how the narrative came to be. Not taking itself too seriously, the relationships of the characters come across as effervescent, beautifully blending in this dance of rebellions in a small town, little transgressions, snatched and stolen moments of pleasure and joy, and how it is in these small moments indeed that life is weaved. 

The final result steers clear of any vulnerabilities the exploration of thematic underpinnings of the kind exposes a story to, leaving you with a colorful, uplifting, perhaps even educational, film at the end of it all.

Cheepatakadumpa | Devashish Makhija | Short Film of the Day

Did someone say desire? Yes! Did someone say attraction? Oh, yes. Did someone say S-E-X? Yes, yes, yes! But wait, did someone ALSO say female sexuality? Oh, maybe not. Look away everyone, look away and pretend it never happened. This short film draws attention to precisely this aspect of sexuality where women's desires are to be discussed only in hushed whispers behind closed doors. The narrative moves around light banter between a mother-daughter duo, silently but strongly backed by their female domestic help. The women are only talking about the ingredients of the delicacies cooked in a kitchen, but are they really?

Khaney main kya hai | Short Film of the Day

Sexuality, mental health, racism and dysfunctional Indian families - the film engages with all of these issues in a palatable manner without giving in to high-sounding jargon. Imagine the premise as a plot device equivalent of a person entering a room and yelling, "Sex!", immediately followed by, "Now that I have your attention, let's talk business". The film achieves this by centering the major chunk of its action around a hickey in clear view of the world on the fair skin of its protagonist. The film might come across as being overly sentimental or dramatic in some parts. However, that's not a flaw, but seems like a conscious choice on the part of the filmmakers with a very clear idea of who their viewer is. It talks about anxiety, the pressure to get married on women, domestic abuse and the burden of expectations on school students, and manages to keep its tone relatable all along. This ensures that the story rings loud and true with its viewer, allowing it to successfully communicate all that it has set out to.

Hickey | Short Film of the Day

When a happily married man waits for his wife, lying beside him in bed, to fall asleep so that he can take his
phone to the bathroom, the viewer usually expects only one cause for the behaviour - the man is having
an affair with another woman. When a short film opens with a scene like that, it already launches itself
into an uphill battle as warding off such a deeply entrenched memory/bias of the viewer is a challenge itself. 
The only way, then, to triumph is to present the viewer with an equally powerful and opposing image,
and suspend the film in moot. Purple achieves that triumph, albeit within the restricted grammar of a
short film.

Purple | Short Film of the Day

Throw in actors like Neena Gupta, Aditi Rao Hydari, Amol Parashar and what do you get? You get a fun short film like Mama's Boys. Hello, modern day Bhim and Yudhishtir - one goes to the gym while the other latches on to Arjun for free bike rides. No, the short film didn't forget Nakul and Sahdev - struggling fashion designers who want to keep their homosexuality hidden from their mother, because after all, they ARE mama's boys. Mama's Boys is marked by the brand of humour that exploits hypersexualisation to invoke laughter. Also, the film would have benefited greatly by a more well-rounded and less abrupt ending.

Mama's Boys | Short Film of the Day

The music video, that succeeds a prelude released ahead of the final product, touches upon young people’s struggle to come to terms with their sexuality. The struggle to fit in is always intense, but this intensity increases manifold if it involves inexperience of teenage life. The vocals and lyrics are powerful and exhibit a certain sophistication which works wonders for pieces of art that deal with topics of gender, sexuality, love and relationships.

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