All about Duet, Sheetal Menon’s Sidhant Gupta-starrer, first short film to release on Spotify

Duet, backed by Bejoy Nambiar, stars Sidhant Gupta and is directed by Sheetal Menon

It was less than a decade ago that short films in India had few platforms to release on, aside from YouTube. The advent of streaming in the country proliferated India’s nascent short filmmaking industry. And now, with Sheetal Menon’s sophomore directorial Duet, a new avenue opens. The film is set to premiere on July 30 on Spotify, marking a milestone as the platform’s first-ever short film release.

Sidhant Gupta stars in Sheetal Menon's Duet.

Duet to release on Spotify

Backed by Bejoy Nambiar and produced under the Getaway Pictures banner, with a screenplay co-written by Arpita Chatterjee and Sheetal Menon (who also conceptualised the story), Duet stars Sidhant Gupta as a pianist grappling with the sudden loss of his estranged brother amid the isolating backdrop of a global pandemic. Duet will also stream on Getaway Pictures’ YouTube channel.

“The film grew out of a very specific kind of grief… the isolation so many of us felt during the pandemic,” says Sheetal Menon. The film follows a haunting duet as the narrative tracks the pianist’s struggle to come to terms with his brother's passing until an inexplicable musical connection pulls him back toward hope. “For any storyteller, the moment of sharing a film with the world is almost impossible to put into words. Duet took far longer than I had ever imagined, and there were many moments when I questioned whether I should keep going. But the story kept gnawing at me and refused to leave me. Today more than anything, this film's release is a reminder to never give up on a story you truly believe in,” adds the filmmaker.

A poster of the short film, Duet.

Calling Duet a “journey from the darkest moment to the kiss of light,” Sidhant Gupta adds, “I have always wondered what a person must be going through internally when giving up on life seems easier than living another day. What is that level of pain that’s beyond any help in someone’s head? This story came to me post Jubilee. It never left me, and that’s how I knew it was the one for me.”

All about Duet

Apart from Sidhant, Duet features special appearances by Sayani Gupta and Puja Sarup. It has been lensed by cinematographer Siddharth Srinivasan and edited by Prakash Kurup, with sound design by Moinak Bose, whose immersive soundscape plays a vital role in the film’s emotional and atmospheric world. The film’s score is composed by Sid Acharya.