ISHQ MUBARAK, DARD MUBARAK – SHORT FILM (REVIEW) – (TALES OF INCLUSIVITY) #Blogchatter #WriteAPageADay

 

’Tis is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

 Short films are all the rage today, given the rising costs of making films in the COVID-19 era and the short attention spans of the viewers in a world that is constantly coming out with ritzy gimmicks to catch the public eye. Movies which used to be three hours long have slowly been cut down to half that duration, in many cases. Could you imagine people sitting through Mera Naam Joker today? By the time the movie was done, half the audience would have been on their mobile phones, replying to calls much to the irritation of others. The other half would have gone for a coffee and samosa break, especially during the songs. Sad, but true, especially when one talks about an iconic movie.

What happens when a young boy you have seen growing up suddenly creates magic? Makes a debut short film whose theme not only catches the attention but stays in the heart after! That is exactly what Mukundan Thiyyadi, a young man of nineteen, has done in his film titled ‘Ishq Mubarak! Dard Mubarak’, an Obscura Production.

The premise of the film is simple. Two friends, a girl and a boy, meet after years at a suburban bus stop and since the hour is late, the boy is chivalrous enough to wait with her until her friend comes to pick her up. They start with small talk, and then meander into the past, and as they do, certain home truths are revealed, sweet and nostalgic.

Love, they say, makes the world go round. Right at the beginning of the film, the young director speaks of having lost his heart back in school, “To the Girl Whom I Once Loved”. When one watches the film, it is evident that somehow, the pain has been woven seamlessly into the story.

The music by Arvind Mahadevan lends a whimsical touch to the story that is playing out and enhances the silences, poignant and marked. The protagonists, Fendry Francis and Pooja Krishna, are both charming as they make conversation, their expressions and acting natural and unaffected. Till the very end the camaraderie continues, and the story ends with a pointed question, which is more rhetorical than anything else.

The film ends with some poetic lines in Hindi on love, longing and heartbreak. As the music continues to play on, the viewers carry both the theme and the melody in their hearts.

The short film by Mukundan has already garnered much praise from all corners. May the young man continue to follow his passion and grow from strength to strength!

I would strongly recommend that everyone watch this film, and to make it easier to do so, I am sharing the link below. Do watch it and please do add your comments and appreciation in the comments below it. Thank you so much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY1nKpZeYkw

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