Zindagi inShort movie review: Guneet Monga’s rainbow of short films infuses hope and happiness
Zindagi inShort review: Academy Award winner Guneet Monga brings seven slice-of-life short films that will make you grin ear-to-ear.
Zindagi inShort
Cast: Neena Gupta, Divya Dutta, Sanjay Kapoor, Manjot Singh, Deepak Dobriyal, Isha Talwar, Rima Kallingal
Directors: Gautam Govind Sharma, Punarvasu Naik, Rakesh Sain, Smrutika Panigrahi, Tahira Kashyap, Dr. Vinay Chhawal, Vijayeta Kumar
Most will be stumped if told to summarise their life, asked for their Zindagi inShort. Every day brings its challenges, every moment of happiness seems to have a sting in its tail. Call it resilience or what you will but hope for a better future, a happier tomorrow keeps us going. Oscar winning filmmaker Guneet Monga has picked up seven such stories, seven short films that describe the various facets of our life and called it Zindagi inShort. The slice-of-life stories have the ability to bestow you with the gift of smile -- and not just a slight tug of the upper lip but an ear-to-ear grin.
Watch Zindagi inShort trailer
One can’t arrange these marvels in any order but Thappad is my clear favourite. Directed by Vinay Chhawaal, this film centres around a brother-sister duo in a distant village with the two being the only characters. But the brilliance with which it has been shot on just an iPhone with the bundle of talent that is Shafin Patel, it comes across as an empowering statement against bullying.
True to its title, Thappad echoes for hours as a child stands up for his sister by doing the unthinkable. With pin drop silence, slow motion and a frame in which the maker focuses on bullying rather than the bullies, the storyteller conveys the point -- power doesn’t bring about a change, it’s the courage to stand up that does.

We don’t know how strong we are until being strong is the only option. And nothing explains it better than Thappad and another short featuring Divya Dutta as an ill-treated housewife in Sleeping Partner. The hard-hitting tale of a woman’s test of tolerance until she can’t take it anymore shows her killing two birds with one stone. And it’s enough to leave you impressed not just with Divya’s character arc but also how a woman finds courage inside herself.
Amid films that leave an impact is also Deepak Dobriyal and Isha Talwar’s short and spicy Swaaha. The word is not just a Sanskrit word for offering something to sacred fire but is an emotion when you spoil something beyond redemption. One never doubts Dobriyal’s comic timing or his rustic persona but even Isha shows untapped potential which deserves to be highlighted.

Chhaju Ke Dahi Bhalle too is a feel-good tale of love that fails to go beyond age-old barriers come what may. It’s like a breathtaking piece of art, which can be seen from a distance but can’t be touched.
Life, no matter how large it is, eventually leaves a person old and fragile, left to fend for oneself as they are ignored by the loved ones. Nano So Phobia and Neena Gupta’s Pinni communicate this in the simplest way possible. While the former deals with plight of senior citizens whose fear can be more than just a state of mind, another defines a middle-aged woman reduced to a sweet-making machine for her daughter, husband and relatives. If you can’t stop praising Ayushmann Khurrana’s talent on screen, check out how his wife Tahira Kashayp is the master of the camera as she gives a sugar rush with her Pinni.

Among these heartwarming tales is Sunny Side Up-ar which reminds us of what we should never forget – life is to be lived before it’s over. Just like its name, it shakes up the cosy urban youth whose most committed relationship is with their Netflix account. Eggetarian or not, the brighter side of things should always be the reason to smile amid a million worries. Guneet Monga has definitely driven the point home, one short film at a time.
Lessons they taught us and those who did not treat them the best way.
(Hindustan Times doesn’t use star-rating system in its movie reviews.)
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