Independent filmmaker
Abhiroop Basu
’s fourth short film ‘
Meal
’ is the only Indian movie to get selected at the Oscar-qualifying short film festival
Odense International Film Festival
in Denmark, one of the biggest short film festivals in Europe.
“The festival will be held from August 26 to 31 and ‘Meal’ is one of the 121 shortlisted from among 3,600 short films. The top three films will qualify for the nominations to Academy Awards. ‘Meal’ has already won the Best Film award at the Ottawa Indian Film Festival where it competed alongside Anurag Kashyap’s Bebaak starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead,” said an elated Abhiroop who has previously directed critically acclaimed short films ‘The Day After Tomorrow’, ‘An Afternoon With Julia’ and ‘The Paper Man’.
Featuring
Adil Hussain,
Ratnabali Bhattacharjee and Avishek Jain, the 11-minute film is well crafted and layered. It explores the suffocating atmosphere in a household from which peace has escaped. The short has created waves all around receiving appreciation from the international film circuit.
The story of ‘Meal’ sees a communal tension instigated by political factions having a devastating effect on a below middle class family as they have their last meal together. The terrified atmosphere in the house represents the actual meaning of chaos in crisis as everybody is a victim and suffers in equal measure. The USP of ‘Meal’ is also the chilling silence which would make the viewer a bit uncomfortable. The haunting background sounds and voices only make it more interesting.
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