There is something very fascinating about a short film. Within a few minutes, usually about one-fourth the length of a feature film, it is made to create a world, develop characters, present and resolve a conflict and see through the beginning, middle and end. Each of the five films that makes Shorts, is unique in the way it goes about its business. However, there are things that you might not understand and make you feel that you needed more time with the film. There are other times when the abstract treatment could get annoying. In either case, it is still an effort that definitely needs encouragement.

There are a few things that are absolutely great across the board. Performances are just outstanding in each of the films. Even if its tempting to name a few of the known faces, It would be unfair to just point those out as great acts. They are very rooted and set in real life, except for maybe the second film, The Epilogue which needs histrionics because of the abstract treatment it carries.

Similarly each of the films also creates a universe best fitted for its concept/theme. The ambiance is pitch perfect and most interestingly, even though each one is different from the other, it is easy enough to move from one to the other without feeling uprooted from the previous one.

Dialogue is, in general, sparse, except for Audacity which needs the chaos that it generates. I think that is the beauty of dialogue writing, you need to know when not to have characters speak. It gives so much more room for the rest of the crew from the director and actors to the camera and music departments.

Most enticing of them all are the concepts picked by each writer/director and the combination that makes for the feature length film. Let's take a brief look at each one. For a detailed look, you have watch the film, of course.

Sujata by Shlok Sharma A girl is abused by her cousin from her childhood till present time where she's a grown woman. Sujata does get you rooting for its protagonist even though you barely know her. Unfortunately, that also becomes its handicap. To continue feeling her angst and being with her through her struggle, you are not offered much of a backstory. How justified is her anger towards the cousin? Do you endorse all her actions? While I am all for unanswered questions in films, this one made me uncomfortable.

The Epilogue by Siddharth Gupt Fear. How do you deal with it? Maybe, the only way to face fear, is to ignore it. After all, it is like an beautiful woman who throws tantrum to get your attention. And maybe there is only one way to deal with her. Or maybe it is just a claustrophobic relationship story that needs to get its closure. That is the beauty of The Epilogue, it is open to interpretation.

Audacity by Anirban Roy The mind of a teenager. An already confused one. And then it has to face the perplexing and thus, frustrating double standards of parents. These standards or lack thereof do not allow the adults to take responsibility of their contribution to their child's misbehaviour. This child then decides to teach them a lesson. Is the child right in behaving so? Are the parents doing the right thing? This Bengali (with English subtitles) short, Audacity doesn't take sides and tells us that just maybe everyone is responsible in the said situation and you would only go around in circles if you played the blame game.

Mehfuz by Rohit Pandey Mehfuz is more to me about the mood it creates with its camera work and sound design than about what it is trying to say. With such films, you do not go about looking for meaning or deeper meaning. Its morbid and looks at morbidity in the eye. It goes on to confirm, even a cold graveyard worker cannot really get used to death.

Shor by Neeraj Ghaywan Nothing like the sounds of Mumbai to make a movie called Shor. That it also points at the internal chaos each one of us faces, is of course, of larger significance. Most of our struggle is a lot about the one major relationship in our life and how dissatisfactory it is. It has never stopped amazing me that, the most important relationship of our life is the one we mistreat the most. And yet, life offers us a chance once in a while to set things right. Shor too creates just the right tone for what it has to say.

Each of the films has something going for it and takes a very serious look at one aspect of life or the other. Which brings me to the one question I've had about short films in general. Why do they have to be so serious? Does comedy need a bigger canvas?

Even so, you cannot deny that this "different" experience is a welcome change. In the last 5-7 years, only every second or third year, have we had one feature length film which is only a collection of short films. It is really heartening to see two such films this year. I imagine a time, hopefully not to far away, when not only such films will be the norm, but also when a feature film will be preceded or followed by a short film which will be worth coming early or waiting for. More power to the brave souls who have taken the first step towards making this happen.

- meeta, a part of the audience