MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone: Review of short films mentored by Vishal Bhardwaj, Vikramaditya Motwane, Rohan Sippy
20 Apr 2024
I don’t know whether it is apt to call this an anthology or not. In terms of stories or themes, these five short films don’t have anything in common. The common thread is technology – all shorts are filmed on iPhone and edited on Macbook Pro. To their credit, I forgot for a moment or two that these are filmed on a mobile phone. And I watched these on the big screen, so it’s a considerable achievement on the filmmakers’ part that they have created a cinematic experience.
In terms of cinematic experience, Archana Atul Phadke’s Mirage mentored by Vikramaditya Motwane is the best shot film. It’s about a boy from a village in a desert and his obsession with video games like PubG. The village is a tourist attraction and the boy sells beers to the tourists, works at a dhaba of sorts, and in his spare time, constantly plays video games with his friend. The soldier in the video game becomes the mirage the boy starts to chase subconsciously. What happens when the boy loses his phone is the story of the film. DOP Amith Surendran has crafted some breathtaking visuals. Ali Sher Khan’s (who plays the young boy) presence is arresting. The silence of the desert lends itself dramatically to the chaos that unfolds after Ali loses his connection with the virtual world. Archana, who has written, directed, and edited the film as well, has crafted some intriguing moments but leaves the end for the audience’s interpretation. I enjoyed the film for its atmospherics. Watch Archana’s docu-feature About Love on Mubi.
Prateek Vats’ Jal Tu Jalaal Tu mentored by Vishal Bhardwaj is set in a garment factory. Madan (played by Harish Khanna), a senior tailor in the factory has been summoned when his boss finds him laughing on duty. A huge bulk order needs to be tailored and dispatched. The supervisor is on the overworked employees’ heads to get this job done. Amidst all this, Madan has to apologize to his triggered boss (who’s suffering from asthma) but the boss is in no mood to entertain him. The film is peppered with humour and it is probably one of two stories out of five to have a definite beginning, middle, and end. There’s a story structure. A method to how the drama unfolds and reaches a crescendo. Madan represents the millions of people whose backs are against the wall, they simply have to put their heads down and work to make ends meet. A rewarding climax scene makes this half-hour film enjoyable. Watch Prateek Vats’ Eeb Alley Ooo! on Netflix.
Saurav Rai’s Crossing Borders mentored by Rohan Sippy is a short and sweet homage to Iranian cinema. It took me back to the times when I discovered the cinema of Abbas Kiarostami, Majid Majidi, Jafar Panahi, and Reza Mirkarimi. Two siblings and a middle-aged woman cross each other’s paths when they cross borders to fetch goods for themselves. From their physical features, the setting of the film, and the language they speak, I am assuming these to be from either Bhutan or Nepal, coming to border towns of India. The foggy setting lends a fantastical feel to the film.
The kids Karma and Tashi played by Crispin Tamang and Tashi are adorable. Life has been tough and they had to become responsible at such a tender age. On the other hand, the lady (Menuka Pradhan), according to her claim is the wife of a soldier (assuming martyred). Tashi is skilled in stealing things. Karma is more ethical. The lady knows how to throw a fit and get what she wants. She creates a scene with a sari vendor accusing him of sneaking when she tries on saris and walks away with 4-5 pieces. It’s for her sister’s wedding, she says. Life throws a situation at the three of them while crossing borders on their way back and they find companions in each other on their adventures. However, the film somewhat felt like it ended abruptly.
Saumyananda Sahi’s A New Life mentored by Vikramaditya Motwane is the weakest film of the lot. A man from West Bengal leaves his pregnant wife for a job interview in Karnataka. He temporarily loses his eyesight during a transient ischemic attack (TIA). Through his calls with his pregnant wife, it seems that the man is not ready to become a father yet. He is also a man beaten by the system and circumstances. But in its 21-minute runtime, the film didn’t really move me or make me care for the character. And it ends with a moment when the man probably faces the reality that he’s going to become a father but a lot is left for the audience to interpret.
Faraz Ali’s Obur mentored by Rohan Sippy is the most rewarding film of the lot. Set in Kashmir, the film is about a teenage horse guide who tries to recover his data stored on the cloud. Obur means cloud, hence the title. But this cloud phenomenon is confusing to him and his friends. This is what happens. To pay the medicine bills, Suppu (Aaqib Nazir Dinda) sells his mobile phone to the chemist. The chemist’s shop assistant tells him that his phone data will be stored in a cloud. Suppu’s aunt is bedridden because of an illness and that has resulted in bedsores. The aunt succumbs to death and Suppu has to arrange money for her last rites and rituals. But for one particular thing, he will need to get back his data from the cloud. Suppu’s chronicles to get his data take you on a ride of all sorts of emotions. The shot of him when he finds what he is searching for is priceless.
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