Over the years I’ve watched many stunning and almost mind bending movies coming out of the Indian film maker and their film industries. However some of them doesn’t seem to get the attention from audience which deserved. Here I’ve tried to mention 8 of such amazing short films that I believe you’d love to watch. They’re short in duration in between 20 minutes and half an hour. So you can pick em up and go watch right away!
The Gatekeeper (2014)
The Gatekeeper is a story of an old man, who is in charge of an isolated rail crossing in the city outskirt. Accepting the alienation, he tries to find tiny little moments to keep himself engaged in this uninterrupted land. The film unfolds a day in his regular life when loneliness makes him hallucinate about his childhood, in the interim period of two trains. But eventually his imagination breaks like a house of cards and reality prevails when the last train arrives.
Kathakaar (2015)
An old theatre projectionist is fired from his job and has to come back to his village. Struggling with what to do with his life, he one day narrates a story for a crying kid. Slowly he becomes the favorite story teller in the village and rediscovers his passion.
Ahalya (2015)
Indra Sen, a police officer, is tempted by the attractive wife of a renowned artist while investigating the disappearance of a man.
The film takes elements from the story of Ahalya from Ramayana but crafts a modern version of it with a spin. In the original tale the young and beautiful Ahalya is seduced by Indra (the king of the gods), and is cursed by much older husband sage Gautama to turn into a stone. But in the retelling of the story in the film, the punishment is visited on the character based on Indra alone, while the woman is shown to be an accomplice in the seduction game.
Period. End of sentence. (2018)
Period. End of Sentence. is a 2018 documentary short film directed by Rayka Zehtabchi about Indian women leading a quiet sexual revolution. Women in a rural village outside Delhi, India fight the stigma surrounding menstruation when they learn to manufacture sanitary pads.
500 Rupees (2018)
Set in the 90s Bombay, Sarita, a charming teenaged prostitute, is whisked away by rich clients daily. Despite the constant dread, she looks forward to the enthralling car rides customers offer her.
Devi (2020)
Devi (Goddess in English), is an Indian Hindi-language suspense drama short film directed by first-time director Priyanka Banerjee.
A group of women, forced to co-exist in a small room, are victims of rape. However, when someone comes knocking down their door, they must show solidarity and empathy towards the newest victim.
Rogan Joshi (2018)
Rogan Josh is the story of a celebrated chef at The Taj Hotel in Mumbai who has invited his family and friends home for dinner to celebrate his birthday. The dinner table conversation meanders to the shared experience of 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, India. As the story progressed, they joke of how much worse the night could have gotten and question the quality of their existence, especially after the life changing event.
Bypass (2003)
The Bypass is a 2003 short silent Bollywood film with actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Irfan Khan and Sundar Dan Detha. The film was written and directed by Amit Kumar. The Bypass was filmed on a stranded road somewhere in Rajasthan, India.
Oh we’ve reached the end (for now) I guess. That said, please let me know about some of your favorite movies or shortfilms from any country that’s not very well known. I would love to hear from you all. And maybe I’ll write down about a few more underrated cinemas in the future. Stay connected with EduBloq to get the updates. Thanks a lot 🙂
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