CHAAR CUTTING: Big talents in small packets! [3/5]

Short films in India have now become the most exciting medium for budding filmmakers to showcase their talent. It is a kind of plausible gateway to Bollywood yet the route is not very painless to travel. Some do get worthy appreciations and recommendations from the biggies in the profession but most succumb to being just a YouTube or Vimeo link waiting forever to get noticed, irrespective of the quality of their content. CHAAR CUTTING is another kind. If the promising works of Anuj Gulati, Hardik Mehta, Vivek Soni and Vijayeta Kumar could see the light of the day and get a theatrical release, the credit goes to the makers themselves. Bravo, for going that extra mile!

Anuj Gulati directs MANILA RUNNING- a short based in Manila, Philippines. An outsider lands in the city to get his nose-job done. Don’t bother to get the back-story! Stick with the place where everyone looks so household to crime you might have to run all day to save you in one piece. Even the only safe-house in the city is not so friendly but then what choice you are left with? Anuj handles the subject flawlessly to give you a fearsome drama mixed well with a pinch of deadpan humor. It has an interesting flair of psychotic thriller but somehow leaves you half-contented with a hurriedly done climax.

Hardik Mehta’s SKIN DEEP sees Naveen Kasturia and Aditi Vasudev as a couple soon to be married. All has been planned, just a minor operation for ‘circumcision’ and the placard is ready to cover the screen with ‘…And they lived happily ever after’. This is a story written by an unlikely Vikramaditya Motwane and based in Mumbai where literally, anything can happen. Over-dramatic, convenient and forcibly audacious SKIN DEEP is watchable only because of its lead actors. Naveen and Aditi both are superbly natural, reliable and convincing.

BAWDI throws you in the deserted, drought affected land where love suffers the consequences of the lack of water in the village. The Cola Company in the native has sucked all the water leaving not so many options for the dwellers. At the stake is the love. Vivek paints the frame with excruciating conditions of a former who doesn’t want to leave his land and a son who’s stuck between his love and the life. This looks a complete film at its own, with a prefect hand at sound-designing, songs, costumes, locations, cinematography and direction as well.

But the cherry on the cake is definitely BLOUSE by Vijayeta Kumar! Sounds like an old folktale; it has a certain kind of honesty, simplicity and Indianness. A newly-wed bride wants a perfect-fit blouse on her first Karwa-chauth made by a famous tailor. Now, this could be the ‘first impression’ chance for the husband to ensure his love for the lady. The problem is that the husband doesn’t have a size-sample for the measurement purpose. Rest is a hilarious peek-a-boo at simple yet loveable situations in order to get the gift of love. Sumeet Vyas as the husband is terrific. Imran Rasheed as the tailor is perfectly cast.

Having said that, CHAAR CUTTING is not a typical cinema-outing! At the end of the day, these 4 are nothing but short-films. Don’t expect to have an orgasmic experience! Also, the ticket-price [I spent 300 bucks] might make you unsure about your choice but I would say if you can afford it, buy it. Watching talents in the making, before they could make it always feels good. [3/5]                               

SULEMANI KEEDA: Writers' hell! Viewers' paradise! [3.5/5]

It’s not hard to locate self-proclaimed cinema people with a promising story to tell on screen in the city of dreams, Mumbai. You don’t have to knock too many doors to meet & greet struggling film-writers like Dulal [played by Naveen Kasturia] & Mainak [Mayank Tewari]. SULEMANI KEEDA is their Narak Yatra i.e. the trip to hell [a Hindi Novel written by Gyan Chaturvedi can be seen in one of the earliest frames] to make it big in the Hindi film industry but in a very realistic, engaging and entertaining manner. Humor flows vigorously from the flagrant flares of lust, itch for fame and human coarseness in characters to the ‘real to the core’ verbal exchange between them.

Soon after breaking up with his girlfriend of 2 years, Dulal is seen explaining the genesis of an idea to evoke in him the much-needed push for writing. Taking inspirations from Sahir Ludhiyanvi saab’s, “maine jo geet tere pyaar ki khatir likhe, aaj unn geeton ko bazaar mein le aaya hoon”; he too wants each failed relationships of his life to be kept alive in his writings, of course with a disclaimer that he will change the names. On other hand, Mainek is more like a chaotic, topsy-turvy missile who can never hit the right spot, on purpose. Together, they bang doors of every big name in the industry to back and buy their story but end up taking painfully deep, profound and inexplicable lecture on life by Mr. Mahesh ‘know-it-all’ Bhatt.

Their only existing hope is a 35-year old star-son of a B-grade film producer who wants an out-of the-box story with no story as such to be his long-awaited launch-pad where he can play an 18-year old romantic lead. This colorful character Gonzo- a Torkovsky fan doesn’t really stand the term ‘Hero’ in the script, thinks it’s time to revolutionize Hindi films with full-frontal nudity and loves to call her cat ‘Fellini’. Meanwhile, Dulal’s 3-day sting with a beautiful, positive and self-assured photographer Ruma [Played by Aditi Vasudev] lands him in a brawl with Mainek and a late realization of love striking again in his life. 

With writers trying hard to just get an appointment with makers, being ignored, overlooked and even disgracefully shooed away for asking their payments [my favorite moment in the film with Mainek being the victim] and then, making creative compromises to sustain at the last; first-timer Amit Masurkar’s SULEMANI KEEDA is an impressive take of how things work in Bollywood especially if you haven’t crossed the line of success yet. The best part, all of it gets told with fine suggestions sugar-coated in competent wit. Even in its most dull and regular moment [there are few, comparatively], you are never thrown in state of boredom or depression.

The editing is superbly done. The camerawork beautifully captures the essence of Mumbai as a city full of dreamy illuminations and existent imaginations in daylight and nightlife both. The sound designing keeps surprising you with experiments that never go wrong. On the performances, Naveen is perfectly cast as a cutely confused but decently sound writer. Mayank Tewari succeeds in making you laugh with his ease at the craft. Aditi Vasudev is impressive.

To sum up, SULEMANI KEEDA is an indie best to celebrate friendship that doesn’t falter in extremes, is rudely controlling and a bag full of conflicting shades of different personalities but filled with loads of happier moments to rejoice later in life. Watch it, if you ever had a roommate who can convince you not to wear your favorite t-shirt on one of your big days and later, to find the same on his body at the same event. And do not miss, if you ever had thoughts of being a film-writer in Bollywood! [3.5/5]