When you are walking down that busy local market road, and suddenly the wind gathers speed, the blue sky turns dark, and lightning strikes hard, do you rush to the nearest shop to take shelter, or do you wait for the freshwater to sprinkle down on your face from the joyfully weeping sky? Do you curse the road potholes filled with water for blocking the pathway or do you feel like making a paper boat and floating it in the water? Oh! Do you enjoy seeing mother nature doing its housekeeping job with perfection, or do you shut every door and window to save yourself from it?

Ah! My friend isn’t it all about that different outlook on life. Perception is all that matters. 

Every coin has two sides; likewise, every tough situation or circumstance can be interpreted in two ways, positive and negative. To some, one small inconsequential failure is sufficient to force them to kneel down completely in front of the problem; for others, a difficult situation might seem like a challenge and an opportunity to learn and grow more.

The short film Dum Dum Deega Deega is the story of one such character, Ajju, who refuses to give up on the hardships of life. He will not beg like his father and sister for money that he is very much capable of earning himself. He is a proud human being who just can’t surrender to difficult circumstances. For Ajju, the world is his oyster, and soon he finds a unique way to earn money and live a respectful life.

Ajju’s story gives out a straightforward message that sometimes the solution to our problems lies in the problems themselves; to see it, we just need a different perspective. From the acting perspective, the renowned child actor Naman Jain famous for his roles in movies like Jai ho and Chillar party leaves no stone unturned. His acting in Dum Dum Digga Digga is a perfect example of acting which uses innocence to give a strong life message.

Moreover,  soothing music added throughout the short film by talented Himanshu Parikh increases the viewer’s emotional experience and response to the scene. If you are looking for some positivity in life, go check out the short film Dum Dum Deega Deega now.

Queer Representation and the discourse on same-sex love in the South Asian context in India had been very rare. The mainstream Indian movies and TV series do not give any identification to or perspectives of the queer community. Hetero-normativity has completely veiled the presence of the LGBTQ+ community in the society, which solidifies the discrimination and stereotype towards gays, and tries to dissolve or mythify their very existence. Roopa Rao, amidst a whirlwind of these thoughts, released a refreshing web series narrating an innocent sweet love story between two women against the background of the 90s Banglore. The web series titled, ‘The ‘Other’ Love Story’, is written and directed by Roopa Rao and was produced through crowdfunding.

The web series unfolds several elements, not just pertaining to the social aspect of it, but the cinematic aspect of it too. The ‘Other’ Love Story was released in 2016 on YouTube and became India’s first Lesbian web series. 

Plot and Background

Roopa Rao had written this story almost a decade ago from the time of its release. In the web series, we follow two college women – Aanchal and Aadya. They strike up a strong knit friendship which soon turns to a slow burn romance and passionate love. The story is set in the city of Bangalore, in the late 90s, when mobile phones and the internet hadn’t taken human spaces.

Roopa Rao brings back the nostalgia of a 90s love which was marked by telephone calls on phone booths, writing love letters and gifting cards, random meetings on the streets and terrace, and when sharing chocolates was equivalent to intimacy. In today’s time, video calls and instant text messages have closed that gap. However, Rao brings back the simplicity of a 90s love, like a honey filled embrace. The growing love between the two women faces a hindrance from Aanchal’s family, yet despite all, we see the couple’s deserved happy ending. 

Addressing Homophobia in The ‘Other’ Love Story

In one of the interviews, Roopa Rao very rightly says, “Internationally there have been some amazing films that are told very realistically, but in India there have been only a countable few – which are either made to address the ‘issue’ or make a mockery out of it. There has been no film on Indian soil that has told this story just as any other story. The realistic treatment is what I thought was lacking.”

The love portrayed between Aanchal and Aadya is as natural as any love. The realistic element of the web series does all the work. The actors playing the role of Aanchal and Aadya are Shweta Gupta and Spoorti Gumaste. Shweta Gupta is a well-known actor, known for her roles in short films and independent film circuit, while Spoorti Gumaste is a theatre artist. Both the actors have delivered a raw and passionate performance which captures the naturalness of love.

The characters of Aanchal and Aadya were well structured. We find a bonding between a character, who loves interacting and is burdened by the issues in her family, and an introverted, reserved character. The characters, their attires, and their dialogues were realistic and were not unnecessarily glamorised. Their friendship gains value, and as we progress through the episodes, we see why both the characters fall in love with each other.

Several producers rejected Roopa’s story. The reason for rejection was always the fear of the high risk of producing a web series whose central plot is homosexuality and same sex love. Even in 2016, India was very much closed on the topic of same sex love and queer community representation. Roopa Rao wanted to take that leap and open the dialogue. Therefore, Rao went for crowdfunding, and got the necessary funds from several people and campaigns.

A wonderful dialogue in the web series which goes, “This world, these rules, the unseen society, binding love, incomprehensible relationships, must do obligations, the order, the rights and wrongs of the conditioned mind, …” is a mirror to the norms of the society, and how the minds of the people are so shackled and narrowed that a love between two human beings is tagged as unacceptable and repulsive. Roopa Rao, thus, through the simplicity and naturalness of the web series, truly conveys that love is love. She gives a much needed, non exoticised representation of South Asian queer community in the media. Roopa Rao also won the Best Director at the 2016 NYC Web Fest, for The ‘Other’ Love Story.

Episode 9 | The Love and More

Episode 10 | The Greeting Cards & Those Letters

Episode 11 | The Longing

Episode 12 | The Journey

Since time immemorial, men and women have been told to behave in particular ways. The curse of time and irrationality metamorphosed these ways into norms and norms into pseudo-natural laws. They say pink is for girls and blue for boys. Buy a doll for your beautiful princess and a gun for your handsome prince. Tell your women to be less masculine and men to never let a teardown from the eye. For centuries, we bought these categorisations. We subsided our natural calling to fit in those societal norms, get approval, to live. The short film gender identity directly attacks these stereotypes and criticises the age-old gender-based unscientific, unjustifiable decrees.

Short film gender identity is a creation of content ka keeda, an award-winning youtube channel famous for its revolutionary short films and web series. It is a story reflecting the struggles of people who don’t identify their gender with the sex assigned to them at birth. The film portrays the daily struggles that start from early childhood, where the child is constantly forced to accept the societal notion of gender. They are told to suppress their feelings and fit in a world that knows nothing beyond a preconceived idea of man and woman.  

Gender identity is the story of Shiva and his mother, Jyoti. The 7-year-old Shiva likes the colour pink and loves dressing up and dancing. He identifies himself as a girl but struggles to understand why others don’t see him so. He finds it hard to be himself in the presence of his aggressive father, who constantly tells him to act like a conventional man. 

However, Shiva is not alone in his fight for identity. His mother, as a woman, is also battling with her husband for an equal share of love and respect. Learning from her struggle with identity, she stands for her son, whom she never wants to live in a box for fear of disapproval. She fights for herself and her son and encourages him to make his own identity. An identity entirely shaped and discovered by him.

The award-winning actress Richa Sony and child actor Aarav Sharma have acted so naturally as a mother and son duo that it melts the heart of the viewer. The dialogues of the film are also aptly framed and delivered.

Shiva and Jyoti’s story is the story of many who defies the discriminatory laws of the world and carve out their own identity. As a short film, gender identity inspires others to come out of their cages of biased cultural norms and fight for their identity.

New Normal is a freshly released Malayalam short film. Written and directed by Monisha Mohan Menon, the film is a sincere attempt to initiate a conversation around homosexuality, normalise same-sex love, explore one’s identity, and the unprecedented turns in our lives that are our biggest lessons. Monisha Mohan Menon presents us with spectacularly talented and dexterous actors, Anagha and Swiya, playing Appu and Isha, respectively.

Homosexuality is still a myth in some parts of India. While we can say that the coming generation is welcoming to it, there are still a lot of misconceptions and prejudice about the queer community lurking around. The queer community still faces a lot of ridicule and attack by several sects of people. Heteronormativity is normalized and inherently rooted in our society. It is time we normalize the conversations around homosexuality and queerness, because the queer community is very much here, and present. At the end of the day, love will always win! This is what New Normal’s message and there have been. Let’s dive into a brief synopsis of the movie. 

Synopsis

Appu, brought to life by Anagha, is the narrator of the film. She takes us on her journey of love, failures, and finding her own identity. Appu is attracted to girls. She herself takes a little time to accept that. As she comes to face this reality, a slight hesitancy on her part is visibly portrayed. She meets Isha, at the cafe she usually hangs out with her friends. Soon we see Appu and Isha becoming closer and closer through late-night texts and calls. Appu finally confesses her feelings to Isha in the cafe, and within the next few minutes of the film, we see a blissful, calming, and beautiful relationship budding between two girls, two humans. But like all relationships, this one also comes with insecurities, jealousies, anger, lies, and ultimately fails. Appu and Isha do not make it, and that is the brilliance of Monisha Mohan Menon. Not only has she directed the movie with utmost creativity and vigour, but the film’s storyline is set apart from the conventional ones. 

The Exquisite Elements and Themes of New Normal

Monisha Mohan Menon has a unique perspective on filming and direction. She has received immense applause for her directing creativities in New Normal. All the scenes between Isha and Appu are beautifully captured and presented on the screen. The editing complements the movie and helps to convey the general emotions and aura of each scene. The scenes of love and serenity are vibrant, evoking deep happiness in the viewers, while the sad ones convey their distortion and sympathies. 

Anagha and Swiya have done a tremendous job in breathing life into such unique characters. Also, taking this moment to applaud Anagha’s brilliant dancing skills, which were harnessed so retrospectively in the film. 

One must also pay attention to the lyrics of the music used in the film. The lyrics, “When the rain and sun move far from each other, the rainbow slowly fades.” are quintessential to the scene it is played in. The music accompanies the still and anguish moment of the scene. 

All of these elements combined together to deliver the raw feelings and excellency of the film. Watching New Normal is no less than a cinematic experience! 

Abhiraj Bose and Sainee Raj penned down a beautiful story about two people in love. But this is not any ordinary love story written. Abhiraj and Sainee combine the fragile emotions of love, loss, hope and reunion into a 13 minute short film, all in a single space. Directed by Abhiraj Bose, the Interior Cafe Night brings to light amazing actors – Naseeruddin Shah, Shernaz Patel, Naveen Kasturia, Shweta Basu Prasad, with an even artistic short film. 

Synopsis 

The first scene of the Interior Cafe Night begins in a small, quaint, warm little cafe. We’re introduced to a man in his 50s, who enters the cafe, and stops short, as soon as he sees a woman. This woman, she has her back to him. The man recognises her instantly. In his eyes, we can immediately sense some longing, a flashback of beautiful memories, reminiscence, and the twinkles of happiness are visible in his eyes. Yes, that’s exactly how Naseeruddin Shah introduces his character. Just through his eyes, he delivers unspoken words. Brilliant acting, applaudable indeed! (to which we’ll soon get). We soon get to know that this man and the woman, played by Shernaz Patel, have known each other before, and are meeting after quite a long time.

Creating an atmosphere of reunion, Abhiraj Bose introduces one more scene opposite of it. A crying couple sits at the far end of the cafe, who’re about to be separated, by distance. It doesn’t take much time to realize that we are in fact witnessing the past and present happening simultaneously, next to each other. The current meetup of these 50 something aged man and woman is happening 30 years later! They were lovers, who were separated by destiny. Destiny rendered them helpless. Abhiraj Bose brings to light the question we all debate a lot on – can love beat the ravages of time? Interior Cafe Night is a beautiful take on this very debate, portrayed through a unique setup.

Looking Deep and Beyond 

The actors bring to life the fragile emotions of love, longing, helplessness, and hope. Naveen Kasturia and Shweta Basu Prasad really summoned that bitter and heavy emotions two lovers would go through who are about to be separated by the ocean, by time, and will eventually be out of each other’s lives. The helplessness of these two lovers can be felt through the screen. Naseeruddin Shah’s acting has a loud presence in the film. His facial expressions, and the way he carries off his dialogues, is very honest and raw. 

It’s also very beautiful and thought provoking how a specific place, like a cafe, could hold so many human emotions of love, wins, losses, hopelessness, etc. together at one place. The same place where love was broken off was also the same place where sparks of reconciliation and hope were reignited. Human beings are an accumulation of fragilities, and wherever we go, we sprinkle that specific place with it. Be it a restaurant, or a room, a corridor, a cafe, the interiors of them are witnesses to a plethora of human emotions.

Interior Cafe Night is an exquisite short film, and should definitely be on your ‘to watch’ list.