Shuruaat Ka Twist review: Look out for Khauff and Guddu

3/5

Story:

Shuruaat Ka Twist is the second film to release at the Voot Select Film Festival. The anthology consists of six short films - Tap Tap, Khauff, Adi Sonal, Bhaskar Calling, Gutthi and Guddu. Every short film addresses the same issue differently - finding yourself in the midst of chaos and standing up for what you think and know is right.

Review:

Tap Tap as a story sees the progression of a music director who has to keep up with the times. Chunky Pandey, who plays the lead in the film, makes his character Kumar and his circumstances believable. The story, however, progresses too slowly. It goes on in a loop, thus making you crave something new.

If Tap Tap snapped you into reality, Khauff will give you the chills. The sound effects, lighting and camera angles are on point, which complement the storyline of the short film.

Amit Sial and Pramod Pathak's acting only enhances the film. Sial especially is a surprise every horror fan will love.

Adi Sonal, featuring Neena Gupta, has a very realistic setting. It is about the different kinds of women living in a joint family, facing abuse of the physical and mental kind. That sole fact is the most appealing part of the story.

In the role of Sonal, Neena sees and hears everything but rarely judges the actions of another without a reason. While she cares about society, Sonal cares about her own values more and thus, takes her decisions accordingly.

The story moves forward from her perspective of her married life. This aspect has a sweet appeal to it. However, the screenplay in Adi Sonal already moves at a slow pace and the music does not do anything to improve that.

Bhaskar Calling, presented by Rajkumar Hirani, is not a short film that deserved to be tagged with the other films. It is neither entertaining nor a story worth telling.

The short film perfectly portrays how Parsi people could be manipulative and demanding to get their work done. However, it stereotypes Parsis with the accent and kind of phrases used.

The Hirani presentation sees Shahriyar Atai and Delnaaz Irani in pivotal roles. Shahriyar, especially, gets a lot of screen time in the short film which tries to 'entertain' in the form of harassing people trying to do their job.

The song Bhaskar Tu Bass Kar is quite catchy and a refreshing end to the storyline of Bhaskar Calling.

The short film that follows that is Gutthi: The Knot. The accent and overacting in Gutthi are too disappointing. Moreover, the essence of the storyline never comes across. There are glimpses of Avibu (Merenla) turning into a filmmaker but the whole idea, which has been portrayed as her lifelong dream, has not been elaborated on.

Veera Saxena tries to bring something to the plot as Jaya but since Gutthi as a script itself is quite weak, there's not much she can do to help the short film. The end of the film too is as abrupt as the whole 26-minute video.

Guddu, on the other hand, is a story that warms your heart. There's an unexpected twist towards the end of the short film which makes it worth a one-time watch.

Verdict:

Khauff is a short film that will blow your mind, while Guddu will warm your heart. Both the films are worth your time. Otherwise, you can easily skip Shuruaat Ka Twist and wait for a better release at the film festival.