The Fish Curry (Maacher Jhol) (India) (2017)
A man about to come out to his more traditional Indian father cooks him a fish curry, his favorite meal, as a way to soften the blow. In this short directed by Abhishek Verma and written by Jayesh Bhosale and Abhishek Verma, the traditional and the new meet in a clash of beliefs. The way this is done on screen is beautifully animated and the emotional impact of the man coming out to his father. It also shows the power of a good meal and the love of a family in accepting each other for who they are. On a last note, the film’s music by Ers 126 is beautiful and fits the story and its images perfectly. The film has a touch of whimsy that helps deliver its message of acceptance and love.
Fisherwoman & Tuk Tuk (India) (2016)
In this animated short, a fisherwoman dreams of buying her own tuk tuk, as she sells fish and saves her money, she eventually gets her tuk tuk and enjoys it to the max. Directed by Suresh Eriyat and Rajat Dholakia, this short is full of charm and its story is both fun and touching. The animation by Abhijit Budge, Swapnil Patil, Anik Roy, and Debajyoti Roy Chowdhury is adorable in its own way, creating images for the story that are incredibly fitting and cheerily colorful. The music by Rajat Dholakia is what puts it over the edge of adorable in its own way. It helps set the tone as there are no words in the film, just impressions. This story of a woman who craved freedom and takes matters into her own hands is one that should be seen.
KHOL (USA) (2017)
A gay man returns home where he had left good and bad memories behind. Written by Alessandro Nori and Shawn Parikh and directed by Faroukh Virani, KHOL is a lovely film that is ultimately about family and finding where one belongs. It’s well written and directed and sports very good performances by Shawn Parikh as lead Vijay, Sarayu Blue as Vidya his sister, and Anna Khaja as Ranjan his mom. Their overall chemistry and how they work with each other create a family unit that is caring, caring despite their past together and lives apart. The ending of this short is touching and hopeful. The film starts with a bang and ends on an emotionally satisfying note.
Tara Versus (India) (2017)
In this comedy, a young stand-up comedian is trying to build herself a career and a life while her best friend gets a promotion that will be sending her to the big city, leaving her stand-up comedian friend to fend for herself and adapt to a new reality. Directed by Ayesha Anna Ninan who co-wrote it with Amogh Ranadive this short shows that being forced to grow can be brutal but is not always the worst thing that can happen. The lead of Tara is played by actress Shikha Talsania who has a great sense of timing and a presence is magnetic. Her moments on screen keep the attention to her in an undivided manner, something great in this short. It’s great short for the currently entering the job market or struggle to make a place for themselves generation as it shows the struggle and the does so in a realistic and funny manner.