5 short films worth watching

Take a break from the big screen and spend under 15 minutes each with these succinct digital stories

Reflections

Take a break from dragging movies and watch these shorts instead

Juice by Neeraj Ghaywan

Juice by Neeraj Ghaywan throbs with subtexts and pregnant silences

The film offers a glimpse into the casteism and patriarchy inherent in our society. A couple hosts a get-together – where men have a good time over drinks while women get cooked in the heat of the kitchen over preparing dinner. The short throbs with subtexts and pregnant silences.

Watch on: YouTube

Pink kink

Khujli by Sonam Nair

Khujli by Sonam Nair stars Neena Gupta and Jackie Shroff

When middle-aged couple Roopmati (Neena Gupta) and Girdharilal (Jackie Shroff), discover a fluffy hot pink handcuff in their son’s room, they try to spice up their sex life by attempting to create their own 50 Shades of Grey, with Roopmati trying to explain BDSM through the weirdest analogies possible, including that of Sholay’s Gabber and Basanti! Watch this 15-minute short to catch apna Bhidu in his most adorable avatar ever.

Unexplored quarters

In Defense of Freedom by Nandita Das

In Defence of Freedom by Nandita Das is five-minute short is set in Manto’s classroom

This Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starring five-minute short is set in Manto’s classroom. Here, Manto, who was tried for obscenity six times, makes his stand clear on literature and freedom of expression.

Watch on: YouTube

Plain acceptance

Chhuri by Mansi Jain

Chhuri by Mansi Jain is a 10-minute short that sees a stellar performance from Tisca Chopra

In this 10-minute short, Tisca Chopra plays Meera, whose husband Sharad (Anurag Kashyap) is cheating on her with her friend (Surveen Chawla). Instead of living in denial, she decides to cut into the truth and confront the ‘other woman’...and she does that without flying into a fit of rage or becoming an emotional wreck.

Watch on: YouTube

Son’s sorrow

Death of a Father by Somnath Pal

Death of a Father by Somnath Pal is a hand-drawn, minimalist 10-minute short

This animated short , produced by Court director Chaitanya Tamhane, tells the unpretentious story of a middle-aged son trying to deal with his father’s death while mechanically performing the mundane last rites. It is not a film that really requires animation as a vehicle to tell the story, but the hand-drawn, minimalist 10-minute short resonates because of its simplicity.

Watch on: YouTube

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From HT Brunch, January 14, 2018

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