Shor se Shuruwat Review Thread

Shor Se Shuruaat

Shor se Shuruaat is an omnibus feature around the central theme of "Shor"- noise.

"Shor Se Shuruaat" is an anthology of seven indie shorts, whose fledgling directors were hand-picked and mentored by veterans of the Hindi film industry. Released under the HumaraMovie banner, the title of the film is an apt self-proclamation of creating the buzz for its budding directors.

Each story, though different, deals with human emotions, but they are bound by a common theme - "Shor" or noise. And every film has the distinct flavour of its mentor.

The film starts rolling with "Azad". Directed by Rahul V Chittella and mentored by Mira Nair, it is a layered drama that is intensely narrated in a non-linear fashion. It is the tautly told story of a father-son relationship which also unravels the trials and tribulations of a principled man, who reluctantly becomes a columnist, writing under the pseudonym - Azad.

It is the back and forth narrative that gets a bit confusing at times. Atul Kulkarni as Vinod Durge and Sakshi Tanwar as his Muslim wife Zainab are an extension of themselves. And the character who essays their son Sameer, is competent.

With baited breath you wait for the second, "Aamer" " directed by Amira Bhargava and mentored by Zoya Akhtar. This one tells us the story of a deaf boy named Aamer, who lives on the streets of Mumbai. It is a slice of his life tale which reveals how, devoid of sound, he romances the city. In his endeavour to lead a normal life, Aamer with the help of his mother, acquires a hearing aid. After which, instead of being thrilled about being able to hear, how he is disappointed, forms the crux of this tale.

Though well executed in a formulaic graph, the film exhibits a sense of familiarity and thus loses out on the novelty factor. The little boy who plays Aamer is charming, but lacks charisma and thus fails to tug at your emotional chords.

The third film, "Decibel" " directed by Annie Zaidi and mentored by Sriram Raghavan " is set in a dystopian society, in the future, where citizens are forced to live within a minimum audible threshold. The story follows a girl who is craving for sounds like in the "good-ole days".

Treated as a science fiction in a synthetic atmosphere, the film seems a tad superficial with a pretentious and absurd tale. On the performance front, the actors essay their parts effortlessly.

"Hello Hello", directed by Pratik Rajen Kotari and mentored by Shyam Benegal, is an intelligently scripted satire about consumerism. It showcases the noise created by competing organisations to lure consumers. Strategically placed in the anthology, the film, brings with it nuggets of light moments that elevate the sagging viewing spirit.

With an undoubtedly intense performance from Sanjay Mishra, as a convict in solitary confinement, waiting patiently with hope and silence before he is marched to the gallows, the film "Dhvani" " directed by Supriya Sharma and mentored by Nagesh Kukunoor is astutely handled, and the prisoner's anxiety is palpable.

Treated as a fairy tale, "Yellow Tin Can Telephone", directed by Arunima Sharma and mentored by Homi Adajania, is the tale of a unique boy and a girl whose lives are diametrically opposite. She suffers from an overdeveloped sense of hearing and he from an overdeveloped sense in association with colours. How their paths cross and they trade their secrets, forms the crux of this tale.

Creatively mounted in a montage narrative, the film is layered with glossed up frames and a verbose and lyrical narrative. The story may seem strange and silly but nevertheless, you cannot dismiss this film.

The final film in English, "Mia I'm", directed by Satish Raj and mentored by Imtiaz Ali, is packed with a strong message targeting the youth of today. It is the story of Mia, who, lured with promises of a bright romantic future is forced to live like a ghost, because she is emotionally dead. How she takes charge of her life after her trauma, forms the crux of this tale. The film is motivational with an upbeat spirit.

All films, made on moderate production values, excel in the technical aspects, especially the sound department.

Overall, this film is worth a watch to encourage these budding directors and to know the type of films these directors will churn out in future.

As a noble experiment with established filmmakers like Mira Nair, Shyam Benegal, Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar, Nagesh Kukunoor, Sriram Raghavan and Homi Adajania mentoring young hopefuls in their wannabe efforts to make a mark on the film firmament, this omnibus of 7 shorts is quite admirable if not entirely appreciable or riveting.

Each filmmaker in Shor Se Shuruaat' appears to be technically proficient and has unique sensibilities nurtured and flowered by the experienced hands of their well-established mentors. The theme may be one, about the influence of sound in everyday life,' but the expressions are varied.

The presentation begins with "Azad," Directed by Rahul V Chittella and mentored by internationally renowned Mira Nair. Principles are the key to the elevation of a simple man who becomes a columnist writing under a pseudonym. The narrative is non-linear so there's a lot of back and forth in the confusing relationship between father and son. Atul Kulkarni as Vinod Durge/Azad and Sakshi Tanwar as his Muslim wife Zainab are natural.

"Aamer," directed by Amira Bhargava and mentored by Zoya Akhtar is the story of a deaf boy, a street child, whose mother has been working tirelessly to get him a hearing aid and finally the day has come. But Aamer's experience of it is not as wonderful as he thought it would be. Simple and heartfelt, this is the most affecting film in the bouquet.

"Decibel, " by Annie Zaidi, mentored by Sriram Raghavan is set in a dystopian future, where citizens are forced to live within a strictly calibrated auditory threshold. The young woman here, yearns for sounds from the past and tries to find solace in them. This one is not well thought out or entirely believable even though the setting and Chroma are neat enough. The film feels entirely contrived and artificial.

Shyam Benegal was well suited to mentor Pratik Rajen Kotari's "Hello Hello," a reasonably humorous take on consumerism. It's about marketing noises that lure customers with unbelievable' advantageous - only to fail them subsequently. But the film itself feels disjointed and uneven so there's not really much to be had here other than a tentative smile for effort if not skill.

Sanjay Mishra as a convict in solitary confinement yearning for the sounds of freedom before his hanging, is bang on, but the film itself, "Dhvani" directed by Supriya Sharma, mentored by Nagesh Kukkunoor, doesn't leave you affected in any way. It's a little too clinical and spare for that.

Partially animated and using CGI to tell a fairy tale, Arunima Sharma's "Yellow Tin Can Telephone" has zany creator, Homi Adajania listed as mentor and as evident, justifiably so. This tale of a boy who suffers from an overdeveloped sense of colour hooking up with a girl with an overly sensitive sense of hearing is visually impressive because of its creatively mounted narrative but it's not easily coherent.

The final film about a emotionally butchered girl finally waking up to the rap-bop beat of impending life, "Mia I'm," is by far the most fulfilling of the lot. It's not trick happy and takes you along on its road to reawakening. Directed by Satish Raj and mentored by Imtiaz Ali, this one is the beauty in the pack and could become seed for a well-developed first feature!