Very often in life, we are forced to make decisions against our will. A paradigmatic example of that, in Indian society, would be choosing a life partner. Parents, on numerous occasions, pressurise or compel their children to choose a partner which suits their needs- same caste or religion, reputed family, riches and bungalows, etcetera. It would be a rare luxury to have parents who consider the attributes of love, comfort and familiarity before burdening down their children with marital expectations.   “Hickey”, a short film by Pradeep Sarkar, not only highlights the torture one goes through when being compelled for marriage, but also the anxiety involved in hiding an ongoing relationship with the person one loves.

The protagonist of the film is a female of 27 who is persistently nagged by her parents to choose a ‘suitable’ man and get married. Already in a relationship, Savitri is unable to confess her love for her boyfriend before her parents, a hesitation most of us face. She has nightmares of her parents forcing her to marry and is on meds for her anxiety issues, a subsequent resultant of consistent concealment and lies. The story takes an interesting turn when one day, Savitri notices a hickey on her neck. Her world collapses and she takes every possible measure to hide the hickey from her parents, from the society and from everyone in general. Constantly shamed and embarrassed by the love mark given to her by her boyfriend, she faces an unexpected series of events, until one day, she stops hiding it and confronts her mother head on.

Written considering Indian nuances and expectations, skilfully portraying realism and the challenges faced by an unmarried Indian woman at 27, one wonders what led to this unforeseen change. What gave her the confidence to embrace her choices? To get your answers, click on the link below to find out!

Unsaid moments painted with beautiful smiles oftentimes create magic. Those simple times display the truest essence of relations. They emote the deepest feelings of our hearts, creating bonds that last a lifetime.

This delicate moment of love is captured exquisitely in this short film “Smile Please”. With a rushed arranged marriage, a newlywed couple, Farooq and Zooni, have things unsaid in their relationship. But, with a smile, they bridge that distance between them and forge a deep connection of hearts. Portrayed by Sugandh Dhindaw and Syed Raza Ahmed, the film is created by Saikishore Annamaraju.

Presenting you this beautiful short film.

I am sure we’ve all had those nights when we have trouble sleeping. It could be due to stress or a traumatic incident or sometimes, for no reason at all. The theme of this short story, titled “Neend” revolves around the people who have trouble sleeping every night- the insomniacs.

The chief protagonist of this story is a therapist, played by Deepti Naval, who tries to put her clients to sleep with her melodious voice while narrating short poems. The poems are composed by her for her clients and have soothing and calming imagery which help her clients go to sleep.

The story also reflects upon her relationship with one of her clients, the client whose open eyes she is unable to forget and which haunt her even after twenty years.

The short film has had the privilege of being staged at various events including the New York Indian Film Festival. Carrier of an obscure theme, the story progresses with the poems of the therapist and her profound poems set the serious mood of the film. A grave film with a melancholic tinge, the film gives an insight into the world of the insomniacs and also into the life of the therapist whose sole job is to help people sleep… every night.

I’m sure we’ve all had childhood crushes because how can we not! We’re going through a ruckus of hormonal changes and we’re filled with passionate intensity; infatuations, attractions, crushes, proposals and the nervousness that follows, all these emotions flood our teenage years. Alisha, a short film by Sajal Kumar featuring Yahya Bootwala and Sainee Raj is a cute depiction of raw emotions that emerge during this age and how they continue to exist even after a decade of its first emergence.

The short film highlights various suppressed emotions through a very normal conversation between a guy and his childhood crush. Meeting for the first time after 10 years, they are excited and nervous but at the same time, they have reached a certain level of comfort as they regained contact three years before the actual meet and had been talking thus. The boy opens up about his feelings and they share some touchy moments, he recalls the things he did while crushing hard on her 10 years ago. The initial awkwardness slowly fades away as the story unfurls. We eventually find out that the girl is now engaged and that the boy’s feelings towards her have changed gradually. He is comfortable with her committed state however his feelings haven’t perished completely. Relatable much?

He tries to convince her that they can go on to become best friends however the girl confesses her doubt about their friendship as her family members and fiancé might not be at ease with it. The film ends with a sweet twist which puts a smile on the viewer’s face. Curious about it? Well, find out for yourselves with the link given below!

Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” As kids, we all dreamt about following our hearts to the fantasy world. But as we grew up, the chaotic world of survival and work drove us away from our dreams.

This was the story of a dreamer named Rakesh Tiwari. A life-altering conversation with his daughter aligned him back to his passion. One day, when his inquisitive daughter enquired about his presence on the google, he was struck by that innocent question. Driven by his daughter’s dreams, Rakesh was inspired to go against all odds and pursue his passion to make his daughter proud. In the world, where we have often heard that fathers are an inspiration to their daughters, this is a unique story of a father, who was inspired by his daughter.

Directed by Jomin Varghese, this short film “Mere Papa Google Par” is an EBC Originals.

The short film was recently awarded ‘Signature Award’ at the Indian Film Project, 2019.