Apurva Asrani's 'The Pact' Short Film Review: Parambrata Chattopadhyay shines in a lovely ode to fatherhood, friendship, and memories

Cast: Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Kalyanee Mulay, Jayraj Nair, Vedant Sinha, Renuka Shahane

Director: Lakshmi R Iyer

Language: Hindi

The Pact, which is the new short film in town, begins with a man Raghav (Parambrata Chattopadhyay) getting multiple calls from multiple people. We get a sense of what he does but not who he is. He’s separated from his wife but it shall be unfair to judge either of the two. This is not just the story of a working professional or a husband. This is more about the internal conflict of a son who has lost his father. He travels back to the abode that belonged to his old man and reminisces the good old days. For stories like these that need the central character to go back in time, the first thing that needs to click is the camerawork. And the silences that’s accompanied by it.

In this short, written and edited by Apurva Asrani, who is also the co-producer with Lakshmi Iyer, there’s minimal use of noise and maximum effect by the way the camera lingers in Raghav’s abode. As he lingers from one corner of the house to another, he’s reminded of the times he spend with his family. There’s a heartbreakingly tender moment when he asks his mother (a wonderfully affectionate Kalyanee Mulay) why she has to do all the household chores. Her quip is both humorous and haunting. We are so accustomed to cacophony that we may have forgotten to bathe ourselves in restraint. And that’s precisely why The Pact feels an ode to the times when there were more conversations and less noise.

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The Pact, despite being only 25 minutes long, encapsulates a lot about life. It’s a story about secrets, about sorrows, about pacts, and promises. It’s also a film that questions whether it’s easy for someone to be a father who lost his father really young. The moniker gets its literal meaning when we listen to their heartfelt conversation in a flashback. That’s the time when we get to know who Raghav really is. He’s just like many people out there who can be difficult to comprehend because of what they have been through. People who conceal their bruises under silences. Raghav’s grieving is praised by his ex-wife. And before the short film ends, we are told memories will always have the same address.

Parambrata Chattopadhyay, who broke in the Hindi film mould with the 2012 Kahaani, has one of the most endearing screen personas. There’s something immensely likable about the way he approaches his characters, the kind of people you would want to be friends with despite being fully aware of their flaws. Raghav could be one of them. He’s a man whose trip to nostalgia unravels a lot about who he is. And once you completely know him, you know you can have a pact with him, about being friends forever. Just like how he did with his father.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)