The web is full of short films in versatile genres. A few of these best Indian short films deserve a special mention. So go on, experience your own film festival at the comfort of your homes while you cherish these.
1. Interior Café Night
Starring the legendary Naseeruddin Shah, this movie also stars Shweta Basu and internet sensation Naveen Kasturia in the lead. This thirteen minutes short directed by Adhiraaj Bose is based on the opportunities lost by us when it comes to love. The film beautifully merges two stories and is set inside a café in Kolkata where a couple meets for the last time when one of them leaves the city. The movie would definitely leave you with a bittersweet feeling if you’ve ever experienced the feeling of letting love slip away.
2. Silvat
Silvat is a 2016 short film that was produced under the ‘ Zeal for Unity’ Project between the filmmakers of India and Pakistan. The movie is Ansari directed by Tanuja Chandra and written by Faraz Arif. The movie was screened at many prestigious film festivals in India including the Jagran Film Fest. The movie stars Kartik Aaryan and Meher Mistry in lead roles. Karthik’s performance is flawless and completely different from the usual comic roles he plays. This romantic drama is a story about Noor, whose husband takes up a job abroad within the first week of her marriage. After spending years without him, she falls in love with Anwar, but both are apprehensive about expressing their feelings.
3. A Bohemian Musician
This is short is A student documentary directed by Rochak Sahu for FTII. It’s a story of veteran musician Keshav Lal, who worked with like Lakshmikant Pyaarelal and V Shantaram. Unfortunately, the destiny brought him and his wife on the streets of Pune where they play music to survive. The story depicts the utter presence of their hope and optimism and also portrays the strong bond between the couple even in adverse conditions.
4. Mehram
This short film directed by Zaid Anwar stars Farida Jalal in the lead and deserves a special mention in the list. The movie is based on the Saudi Arabian law according to which women without a ‘Mehram’ i.e a male blood relative are forbidden to perform the Hajj, the sacred annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Farida Jalal plays Aamna who decides to fight this patriarchal law for her right to perform the Hajj. The movie didn’t get many show slots at the box office but received recognition at national and international platforms for the brilliant performances and direction.
5. Ahalya
Long before being all over Netflix, Radhika Apte was ever-present on Youtube in a lot on Indian short films. This 14-minute short is directed by the renowned director Sujoy Ghosh and is a modern-day take on the story of ‘Ahalya’ in the Hindu mythological epic Ramayana. This thriller created a lot of buzz in the media when it released.
6. Chutney
This short is produced by the very talented Tisca Chopra, who also is the lead actor in the movie. It starts off as a simple movie based on the life of a normal homemaker who suspects her husband is cheating on her. As the film progresses, we find so many layers to her character which are sure to take the viewer by surprise. Also starring actors Rasika Duggal The end will surely leave you in shivers.
7. Kriti
This psychological thriller stars Manoj Bajpayee and Radhika Apte in the lead along with Neha Sharma. Directed by Shirish Kunder, It explores the Subject of mental illnesses related to differentiating reality and the fantasy world of the protagonist. The background score and the brilliant performance of the cast deserves a special mention.
8. Nayantara’s Necklace
This short film directed by Konkana Sen Sharma has an ensemble cast including herself and the amazing Tilottama Shome. It would relate very well to the people of today’s generation who live a different life in real but project something else to the world. It explores the pretentious aspect of people who dream to a live a life of a certain kind which is far from the truth.
9. In Defence of Freedom
This short directed by Nandita Das stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui. They’re both also a part of the recent movie ‘Manto’. Similar to the film, the short is also based on the life of Saadat Hassan Manto and his philosophy of expressing one’s opinions fearlessly.
10. Kheer
This movie is a part of the short film series by the famous microblogging platform ‘ Terribly Tiny Tales’. It is based on the theme of romantic love between an aged couple. The performance by Anupam Kher in it is quite gripping.
