#002: Kannada short film explores love in times of Covid; it's just two years too late

There’s a new Kannada short film on MX Player. Called #002, the film follows a young couple, played by Siddu Moolimani and Priya J Achar, looking to spend some quality time together in the absence of her parents. What happens when her folks decide to return earlier than expected forms the crux of the narrative.

#002, according to director Mahesha C Ammalidoddy, is the result of four like-minded guys getting together during the pandemic to bring some fresh content to the Kannada film industry. It’s a novel attempt, no doubt, but unfortunately, it comes a tad too late. The film begins with Sumi (Priya) asking her boyfriend to come over to her place, as her parents are away for the whole day. Set on having fun with her, he makes a beeline for her house. But just as they begin to make out, the door-bell rings; turns out her parents have come back earlier than expected. He is stuck in her room with no way out and to make matters worse, the pandemic has broken out. The film is set in the onset of the pandemic, when people were scared about contracting the virus.

Three waves and two years later, #002, despite its good message in the end, comes way too late in the day. But for the fact that many of us are still wearing masks, life has pretty much returned to normalcy, so the scenes of Siddu’s character going pale at hearing that his girlfriend’s dad’s got Covid and losing all interest in hooking up with her, don’t have the desired impact. Despite the devastating second wave, the relatively mild third one and the fact that most people today are vaccinated has taken fear of the virus out of everyone’s mind. Hell, these days, people don’t even test if they have symptoms.