Category Archives: Short Films

Scenes From A Pandemic (short film) review

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The title of filmmaker Tanmaya Shekhar’s short Hindi movie Scenes From A Pandemic is self-explanatory. It throws light on the period when India, along with the rest of the world, faced the menace of COVID-19 aka Coronavirus.

The story starts off in December 2019 when the Jaipur-based young Molshri (Molshri) lands a job offer in Mumbai. She is too attached to her parents (Arif Patel and Aarti Desai) and is searching for ways to refuse the offer. But she finally gives in after some encouragement from her best friend Shruti (Bhavya Grover), who has also landed a job in Mumbai.

Molshri and Shruti shift to Mumbai and take an expensive apartment on rent in Bandra. Molshri is all set to begin a new life in a new city with dreams of a bright future. However, the COVID-19 pandemic arrives in March 2020 and changes her life forever.

We all have memories of the various COVID-19 waves and that too unpleasant ones. We have either seen people go through a drastic change in their lives during this period or have faced the same ourselves. Scenes From A Pandemic provides an intimate and real picture of what the protagonist and her family goes through during that period.

Interestingly, almost the entire film is narrated through a screen of a smart phone. The filmmaker has executed the idea in an impressive way, especially when some story developments happen through Instagram stories. And this is done in a way that one develops deep concern for Molshri’s life. The cinematography (Manas Godara, Tanmaya Shekhar and Molshri) and editing (Radhika Pathak) have crucial contributions.  

Molshri’s performance also plays a key role in creating the desired effect. She displays her character’s joy and sorrow with ease. Bhavya Grover, Arif Patel and Aarti Desai are impressive too in their supporting roles.

Although there are no major minuses, the arrival of the COVID-19, which is nothing short of a demon, should have been elaborated more in the narrative. Other than that, Scenes From A Pandemic is realistic and moving coming-of-age saga of a youngster.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Tanmaya Shekhar

Producers: Tanmaya Shekhar and Molshri

Cast: Molshri, Bhavya Grover, Arif Patel, Aarti Desai, Vijendra Chaubey

Watch the film below:

Also Read: Indi(r)a’s Emergency review: Shows the period’s relevance today

Helly Shah and Barkha Sengupta starrer Zibah deals with Female Genital Mutilation

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Filmmaker Arunjit Borah’s short film Zibah is based on the sensitive issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Produced by Sanjay Singh, Vivek Agarwal, Swati Agarwal and Pawan Singh, it stars Helly Shah, Barkha Sengupta, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Riju Bajaj, Shivani Sopuri and Achal Tankwal.

Sharing about the subject of the film, Riju Bajaj told us, “It is a story of this young girl, who is very ambitious, aspirational and wants to conquer the world and make a career. She is a modern girl from Mumbai who wants to be like any other girl. Her marriage gets fixed. So, her family is worried whether she would be accepted by her in-laws. The reason is that her khatna hasn’t been done because her mother didn’t want that to happen. The father wasn’t happy with it. So, he said that although you have not done it, at some point you will have to do it because of the norm. The pressure mounts and the local clerics convince that it had to be done.”

He continued, “The issue of Female Genital Mutilation kicks in very strongly in the film. It is discussed and the repercussions of it are shown. Generally, this is done when the girl is a baby. At that stage, it’s easier to do. But after the girl has grown and turns above 15, it becomes very difficult and life threatening also. A lot of parents get into the pressure and put the child under the knife for this thing. A film on this subject is very relevant and new. When the script came to us, we were not aware that such a thing happens. So, it kind of enlightened us.”

After reading the script, Riju Bajaj immediately said yes while his father and veteran artiste Ram Gopal Bajaj found it beautiful. The latter was starring in a television show with Helly Shah. That’s how he asked her about acting in Zibah. “Being a television star, he was unsure whether she would do this subject,” said Riju Bajaj. “But Helly immediately said yes without blinking an eye. She is a TV star. So, for her to say yes for this kind of a subject was a great step.”

Zibah will be released on YouTube on August 21.

Also read: Stree 2 review: Niren Bhatt’s dialogues shine the most in this horror-comedy

The Good News (short film) review: Hard-hitting yet gentle reality of Kashmir

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The last decade or so has finally seen some realistic portrayal of Kashmir in Hindi cinema. Among those feature films is Danish Renzu’s Half Widow (2017). We can now safely add his latest short film The Good News in the list for its hard-hitting yet gentle portrayal of the life in the valley.

The film starts with Haleema (Salonie Patel) happily distributing tehri outside a mosque in Srinagar. Her happiness increases when she sees her dear friend Tara (Gauri Batra). The two indulge in some simple joys in each other’s company. Haleema’s joy knows no bounds when Tara reveals some ‘good news’ to her. However, the life in the valley is such that happiness is often short-lived.

The Good News short film

Right from the very first frame, The Good News gets the audience transported to the actual location. The visual appeal of the film is such that it hardly takes a minute to achieve that. Similarly, the deep love between a Muslim and a Kashmiri Pandit is also established effortlessly. You start rooting for their bond instantly. Hence, the major story development (which you might see coming) makes you feel for them even further.

The Good News also scores high in giving a message about the terror-stricken land without saying anything and just through the use of visuals. You might not have anything to do with the political turmoil of the region but that doesn‘t mean you can fully stay away from it.

Also read: Aye Zindagi Review – An incredible real story narrated convincingly

The natural performance of Salonie Patel and Gauri Batra also plays a major role in the film succeeding in moving you. The two are instantly believable in their respective roles as they indirectly announce their talent.

Overall, Renzu once again achieves the goal just like his earlier feature films Half Widow and The Illegal (2019).

The Good News will stream on Disney+ Hotstar from December 3, 2022

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Danish Renzu

Writer: Danish Renzu and Sunayana Kachroo (additional dialogue)

Cast: Salonie Patel and Gauri Batra .