Short Films

Synopsis

Bobby Beauty Parlour (Hindi, Punjabi/ 2024/ 18 mins)Dir. Shashwat Dwivedi. On the hottest day of the year, Eelu drops by to see her best friend Manu, who works at the local beauty salon. When the owner of the salon suffers a heatstroke, the girls find themselves alone and unable to get out due to the severe heat. Trapped together in the claustrophobic confines of the salon,the girls get comfortable in their mumblecore haven. They chat, laugh, and dance, but their carefree revelry is punctured by the sudden arrival of a man, asking for Eelu. The girls' friendship is tested as they navigate the horror of men, the complications of growing up, and personal loss. Within the four walls of Bobby Beauty Parlour, Eelu and Manu must come to terms with their own ambitions and desires, and find closure as one of them leaves this city for bigger ambitions and the other can’t bear it.

Festivals & Awards: 16th IDSFFK, DIFF 2024, MAMI 2024, IFFSA Toronto, IFFLA 2024, YOUKI 2024

Ade(On A Sunday) (Tenyidie/ 2024/ 17 mins) Dir. Theja Rio. Set in 2002, eight-year-old Ade resides in a Nagaland village with his mother, father, and brother. His father, a low-ranking constable, drowns his sorrows in alcohol, while his mother sells local rice beer to make ends meet. One Sunday, Ade joins his best friend and partner in crime, Abu. Together, the boys skip Sunday school to swim in a nearby pond. Their plan, however, is disrupted when an adult chases them away. With time to spare and no backup plan, the boys' curiosity leads them down a path where they encounter the adult world for the first time. 

Festivals & Awards: International Film Festival of Rotterdam, Indian Film Festival Los Angeles, MAMI Mumbai -  Best Film

Ballad of The Mountain( 2024/ Hindi/ 17 mins) Dir. Tarun Jain. An outcast must fight the class bullies to overcome her fears and pursue her ambition to fly to the other side of the mountain.

Festivals & Awards: MAMI, DIFF 2024, IFFI 2024

Karamati Paudha (Hindi/ 2024/ 18.51 mins)Dir. Tariq Mohammad. Ten-year-old Subbu and Maggi visit their schoolmate Montu’s house to play video games and discover that Montu’s family is wealthy because of a magical plant Montu’s father stole from his boss’s house. Tempted, Subbu steals a branch of the plant. When Montu realizes this, he becomes furious and questions Maggi and Subbu, but they deny any involvement. Coincidentally, the duo starts receiving unexpected money, reinforcing their belief in the plant’s magic. Meanwhile, Subbu’s aunt, who came to their home, gifts him and his sister Panchhi five hundred rupees each. Subbu keeps 500 rupees for himself and gives only 500 rupees to his mom. Maggi, seeing the money, asks for pizza, but Subbu refuses, which angers him, and he spills the beans in front of Montu. Meanwhile, Subbu’s mother discovers the remaining money and scolds him. Later, Subbu finds the magical plant missing and learns from his mother that Montu had come to home. Distraught, Subbu thinks his luck has vanished with the plant. That evening, Subbu’s father, celebrating his promotion, gifts bicycles to Subbu and Panchhi and reveals a bamboo plant, claiming it brought him success. Subbu and Panchhi, now hopeful, stand before the new plant, and Panchhi wonders if all plants have magic. Subbu replies, “It seems so.”

Festivals & Awards: IFFSA Toronto, Jagran Film Festival 2025, Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFFCY 2025) organized by Smile Foundation and the European Union, Bulbul Children’s International Film Festival 2025 organized by the Department of Information & Publicity, Government of Goa, Mumbai International Cult Film Festival 2025 - Winner Best Children’s Short Film Award

Kohra (Hindi/ 2024/ 25 mins) Dir. Anisur Rahman. A short drama, about a man's dream that would never come true and it was lost in the fog of millions.