Shor Se Shuruaat review round-up: Some short films make the right impact, others fizzle out

The YouTube channel Humaramovie has come up with an innovative mentorship program that saw acclaimed filmmakers train the aspiring ones to direct seven short films, based on the same theme — noise. [caption id=“attachment_3158902” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A still from Shor Se Shuruaat. YouTube screengrab[/caption] Titled Shor Se Shuruaat, the cocktail of seven films hit the theatres this week. While noise serves as the common theme in all these films, the reviews suggest that only a few manage to make the right noise. While the technical aspects of all the films were appreciated across all quarters, some of the films were blamed for overindulging in the method which took away from the content. Hell O Hello Can you hear me? Director: Pratik Rajen Kothari Mentor: Shyam Benegal Kunal Guha of Mumbai Mirror reviews it and says, “Painfully repetitive, it swiftly dwarfs your senses by ending up like a Tarak Mehta episode on LSD.” IANS reviews the short film and says, “It is an intelligently scripted satire about consumerism. Strategically placed in the anthology, the film, brings with it nuggets of light moments that elevate the sagging viewing spirit.” Azaad Director: Rahul Chittella Mentor: Mira Nair Mumbai Mirror reviews, “It extracts Atul Kulkarni’s best and even while the story (about an idealist journalist’s tryst with society’s prejudices) offers only as much, the actor manages to lift the film single-handedly. Just for that one scene where he effectively channels his character’s contained resentment, he proves that he is the most proficient of the cast.” IANS reviews, “It is a layered drama that is intensely narrated in a non-linear fashion.” Yellow Tin Can Telephone Director: Arunima Sharma Mentor: Homi Adjania Mumbai Mirror reviews, “Sharma adopts an almost-Wes Anderson style of narration in delivering the seemingly mundane in a singularly prophetic manner. While her interpretation leads us to believe that, with a little help, each of us can snub out the shor (noise) in our lives, her distinct visual aesthetic elevates the film from the rest.” IANS reviews, “Creatively mounted in a montage narrative, the film is layered with glossed up frames and a verbose and lyrical narrative. The story may seem strange and silly but nevertheless, you cannot dismiss this film.” Reza Noorani of the Times of India reviews the film and says, “It tells its story in a refreshing manner. Though an overkill of style and colour, it leaves you happy.” Aamer Director: Amira Bhargava Mentor: Zoya Akhtar Mumbai Mirror reviews, “While it’s obvious how her story culminates, Bhargava captures the sights and sounds of the city with much passion and skill.” IANS reviews, “Though well executed in a formulaic graph, the film exhibits a sense of familiarity and thus loses out on the novelty factor. The little boy who plays Aamer is charming, but lacks charisma and thus fails to tug at your emotional chords.” Dhvani Director: Supriya Sharma Mentor: Nagesh Kukunoor Mumbai Mirror reviews, “It leans heavily on performances. About a jail inmate (Sanjay Mishra) awaiting capital punishment, this one says more than it literally does. The pronounced creases on the convict’s face as he rubs his hands over it, compel one to tune in to his innermost thoughts, even picture the nefarious crime that reduced him to his present state.” IANS reviews, “With an undoubtedly intense performance from Sanjay Mishra, the film is astutely handled, and the prisoner’s anxiety is palpable.” Decibel Director: Annie Zaidi Mentor: Sriram Raghvan Mumbai Mirror reviews, “Much like a low-budget Black Mirror episode, this one paints a future where humankind is forced to seek assisted sleeping, with doctored sounds or lack of it.” IANS reviews, “Treated as a science fiction in a synthetic atmosphere, the film seems a tad superficial with a pretentious and absurd tale. On the performance front, the actors essay their parts effortlessly.” Mia I’m Director: Satish Raj Kasireddi Mentor: Imtiaz Ali Mumbai Mirror reviews, " While this revenge drama may have a substantial-enough plot to work with, the execution is somewhere between college project and home video." The Times of India reviews, “It has a lot of strong moments and talks about teenage angst and how one bounces back after life-altering events.” Overall, the film has received mixed reviews from the critics. Mumbai Mirror gives it a rating of 3 stars and says, “This may be a noble idea — getting established filmmakers to hand-hold young amateurs to pick up the nuances of the craft. But it isn’t an entirely successful experiment as the learned fail to help their students navigate the pitfalls, as most seem consumed by technique and less by their original idea.” IANS gives it a rating of 2.5 stars and says, “All films, made on moderate production values, excel in the technical aspects, especially the sound department. Overall, this film is worth a watch to encourage these budding directors and to know the type of films these directors will churn out in future.” The Times of India gives it a rating of 3.5 stars and says, “The performances are strong, especially those by Sanjay Mishra, Vijay Maurya, Pawan Manda Kale and Baia Marbaniang, the last two who are untrained actors.  Overall, Shor Se Shuruat is like a string of crackers where some burst beautifully while a few just make noise.”