‘Twenty-Five’ – Sagher Manchanda’s Cinematic take on ‘Feminine Individuality.’ | By Piya Gajbe
Twenty-Five – Revenge is Natural
A Short Film – written and directed by Sagher Manchanda
CAST
Samridhi Chandola
Pooja Dhar
Prerna Gandhi
Avinash Pandita
Deepak Singh
Sometimes as an audience you watch a full-length movie and forget all about it within an hour. However, at times a well-crafted short movie may linger on with you for a long time. ‘Twenty- Five’ sticks with you like that. It makes you ponder upon and realize how unfair the world has been since time immemorial to women when it comes to their dreams and aspirations.
The short movie, ‘Twenty-Five’ delves into the struggles that women in our society face through a dark and intriguing story. Sagher Manchanda’s take on the issue of gender inequality and oppression against women is bold and symbolic.
The story begins with Bani( Samridhi Chandola) introducing Arjun (Avinash Pandita) to her mother Beena (Pooja Dhar). The mother-daughter duo shares a strong bond. However, Beena has kept Bani away from the dark secrets of the family. The painful history of her family unfolds another chapter in the film.
Bani comes to know about the trauma her Grandmother, Bela, had undergone due to the evils of patriarchy. Here comes the crucial point in the film, when the audience is introduced to the significant element of the movie – the old typewriter which belonged to Bela.
It is not a mere typewriter but symbolizes a lot more. It represents the independence, education and dreams of Bela. This typewriter is handed down from Bela to Beena, and with it a tradition is carried along; a tradition that is deeply rooted in revenge against the cruelty of patriarchal society.
Sagher Manchanda believes in experimental cinema and through this art-form he wanted to create something which could bring about a change in the way people perceive women.
The oppression which the women population faces in rural areas is often overlooked as a way of life. The ground reality is no different in urban areas.
A news piece describing a suicide by a young woman due to her husband’s torture caught the attention of Sagher’s sensitive mind and led him to make the movie ‘Twenty- Five’ with an out-of-the-box approach. Sagher Manchanda in his personal life shares a strong bond with his mother and the same reflects in his work too.
Another personal touch added by Sagher in the movie is the ‘Typewriter’. His grandmother, a fiercely independent woman, and a skilled typist owned a typewriter as her prized possession. Eventually, she had to give up her career as per her family’s expectations. Post-marriage she wasn’t allowed to carry forward her passion. This had broken her heart and spirit to the core.
Twenty- Five, thus is not simply a movie, but a message in itself that how women as an entity are complete in themselves. If they can create an identity of their own with education and a career, they can own the world. Men need to accept this and give them due respect and place in society.
The 30 minutes crisp movie is neatly made. The storyline doesn’t deviate from the plot and keeps the audience hooked. It raises the curiosity level of the viewer and also lets the audience join the dots. Nowhere does the movie become preachy, yet the message is delivered with conviction.
The performances by the cast are great and Samriddhi stands out as Baani.
At one point, it seems that the movie is taking a turn towards the horror genre, but soon the audience realizes that there is more to it. There is no place for superstition in the script and all the loose ends get tied up neatly. It is an open-ended film, which lets the audience go through the thinking and realization process.
The music and background score of ‘Twenty-Five’ needs a special mention. UK-based composer, David Mackenzie creates the perfect ambiance for the scenes. The music carries the core essence of the theme of the film. It is difficult to make out that the whole music was done in remote collaboration. David and Sagher have never met in person, but their rapport and creative understanding come out clearly throughout the project.
A special mention of the title track, ‘ek choti umar, ek lamba safar’, penned by Samridhi Chandola and rendered in an equally soulful voice by Aparajita Chadola. The lyrics touch the tender chords of the audiences’ heart and set the exact tone for the movie.
Making a short movie during the pandemic year was a challenge in itself for Sagher and his team. The cast and crew were in different parts of the country. There was not a possibility of group rehearsals. Amidst the travel restrictions, the team had only four days to complete the shoot film in Panchagni. However, with all his determination, Sagher completed this movie, overcoming every challenge with full faith in his team and the potential of his story.
Sagher Manchanda has proved his mettle as an independent filmmaker with ‘Twenty-Five’. We shall be looking forward to his upcoming feature film project in the psychological thriller genre.
Because of its unique storyline and making, ‘Twenty- Five’ has been picked up by the esteem streaming platform, Pocketfilms.
You can watch the movie here:
The IMDB link :
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt13492450/fullcredits?ref_=m_tt_cl_scc
The music score of the movie ‘Twenty- Five’ is available on the following links:
https://davidmackenzie.bandcamp.com/track/twenty-five-suite
The social media links/ pages:
http://www.facebook.com/twentyfiveshortfilm
http://www.instagram.com/twentyfiveshortfilm
https://m.imdb.com/name/nm9420429/?ref_=m_tt_cl_dr
Official Trailer – https://youtu.be/Uosg0R4DUKY