A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali Khan
By Murtaza Ali Khan
Ketan Chavda's short
film, Midnight Error, recently premiered at the 5th Dehradun International Film
Festival. It was earlier screened at the LIFT-OFF-GLOBAL Film Festival, London.
The story and screenplay is written by Sritama Dutta. Midnight Error is also
the official selection for Bollywood International Film Festival – Norway. 'MIDNIGHT
ERROR' has got selected for Indian Film Festival of Ireland 2019. It will be
screened at Technological University Dublin on November 16.
Midnight Error stars veteran Indian actor Rajit Kapur in the lead
role of Indresh—a retired Brigadier who is forced to spend a night at a remote
lodge after his car breaks down. The lodge is owned by a couple, Lily and her
wheelchair-bound husband Omkar. Once a decorated soldier, Indresh is suffering
from a heart condition. From the moment Indresh steps enters lodge he looks a
little anxious. He grows more and more restless with each passing moment. Is
his fear imaginary or is he really in grave danger in an isolated lodge amidst
complete strangers?
Hitchcockian motifs drive the taut narrative that never drags or
loses focus. Interestingly, the short film is shot over a single night and it
is well reflected in the spontaneity of its pacy narrative. Chavda’s previous
experience as director on numerous shows for Zee seems to come handy. He never
loosens his control over the subject material. As a result, Midnight Error
succeeds in keeping one hooked till the very last moment.
The film is co-produced by Tanima Bhattacharya, Chetan Sharma, and Deepi Sanjeev Jain.
Now, Tanima and Chetan are primarily actors whose passion for cinema goes
beyond acting. In their young careers they have already delivered some memorable
performances. While Chetan has acted in films like Ankhon Dekhi, Lanka, Parched,
and Sankaal, among others, and most recently in the second season of Sacred
Games, Tanima is best known for her award winning turn in Saankal. In fact, it
was while working on Sankaal that the two of them decided to further expand
their creative collaboration. And that's how Rare Stones Production was
born—the banner under which they have produced Midnight Error.
Tanima, who essays the part of Lilly in Midnight Error, shares
an interesting chemistry with Rajit Kapur. There is an obvious sexual tension
between the two characters, a sort of a gender reversal on Psycho. Of course
the plot itself hardly bears any similarity to Hitchcock's seminal work with
the exception of its setting. Chetan, on the other hand, plays a more enigmatic
part that doesn't fully unravel until the final few minutes of the short film.
In the recent years, short films have significantly grown in
stature as a potent conduit for cinematic storytelling. Midnight Error doesn't
shy away from delivering some genuine moments of shock and nail-biting suspense
in its short running time of 16 minutes. Here is a short film which
demonstrates how the medium can be used to economically tell a compelling story
without resorting to cheap thrills.
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your valuable thoughts are highly appreciated!
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