Stars and their tryst with short films

Among the most gripping modes of storytelling in contemporary times, short films are turning out to be quite popular. What formed part of or largely remained limited to student projects of leading film and television institutes across the nation a few decades ago, is now finding a curious interest among mainstream actors and other artistes of Indian cinema. And it is not all about small budget and lesser time in making them, the rise of indie films also seems to be a lot about their spot-on treatment of subjects. Here's a list of shorts films that feature some of the country's top artistes, apart from extraordinary storylines'

Kriti (2016)
Manoj Bajpayee, Neha Sharma and Radhika Apte
Directed by Shirish Kunder, this newly released short film is a psychological thriller that went viral on social media, while it also ran into a controversy. The story concentrates on how mental derangement can make one do the unthinkable.

Playing Priya (2016)
Sunidhi Chauhan
This urban fantasy thriller marks the entry of the Bollywood playback singer in the world of acting. Directed by Arif Ali, this recently released short film unfurls the story of a home-alone woman that could send shivers down your spine with its twist of horror.

Interior Caf' Night (2016)
Naseeruddin Shah, Shernaz Patel, Naveen Kasturia and Shweta Basu Prasad
This charming short film by Adhiraj Bose explores the idea of a second chance at love. Spiraled around two couples, this is the story of a caf' owner who happens to meet his long lost lover, while on the periphery another set of lovers are in tears as they are separating from each other.

Nayantara's Necklace (2015)
Konkona Sen Sharma and Tillotama Shome
Directed by Jaydeep Sarkar, this intriguing short tells you the story of friendship between two women from two completely different walks of life. It makes one think about the mundanities of the middle-class and their aspirations in life.

Ahalya (2015)
Soumitra Chatterjee, Radhika Apte and Tota Roy Chowdhury
As gripping as it can get, this is a story of seduction and deceit ' an epic retold in a way that can keep you glued to your seat until the end and thinking about it long after the film is over. This piece of art, by Sujoy Ghosh, brings into frame some of the popular actors of Indian cinema.

Glut: The Untold Story of Punjab (2011)
Narrated by Rahul Bose
Done more in the form of an issue-based documentary film, this short sheds light on the disturbing drug and alcohol scene of Punjab that is fast engulfing a generation of young adults, and yet there seems to be no practical solution to prevent it. The film is directed by Sahil Bhagat and Smaran Sahu.

Migration (2008)
Shiney Ahuja, Tinnu Anand, Raima Sen, Sameera Reddy, Sulabha Deshpande, Irrfan, Satish Kaushik and Tanvi Azmi
The cast of this Mira Nair short film includes a whole gamut of mainstream actors, all of whom portray heart-wrenching characters, in an effort to spread awareness about AIDS.

The Bypass (2003)
Irrfan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui
This one-of-its-kind silent short film, directed by Amit Kumar, was widely appreciated for its approach and treatment of violence, aggression and corruption in the sand-battered suburbs of Rajasthan. The film follows a thrilling and self-explanatory narrative technique.

Top Hollywood actors who also starred in Independent films

Alan Rickman and Jodie Whittaker in Dust (2014)

Kirsten Dunst in Aspirational (2014)

Michael Cera in Gregory Go Boom (2013)

Kevin Spacey in The Ventriloquist (2012)

Sandalwood's stamp

Last year, Kannada actress Sruthi Hariharan also worked on a Hindi short film, titled ABC. Directed by Madan Ramvenkatesh, the film is based on a conversation between a female entrepreneur and a boy who washes cars for a living, played by child artiste Shahbaaz.

Jayanagar 4th Block, a 2013 Kannada short film starring Dhananjaya, is a story of friendship between three strangers ' an actor, a florist and a retired school teacher. The movie is directed by Sathya Prakash.