Shamiana: short film program

Yesterday Arpita, Rashmi, and I met at Natrani Café for this short film showing by a group called Shamiana. They plan on showing films once a month, but this was the very first time, although this group had begun in Mumbai. There were quite a lot of people there for the first showing, a few hundred I’d say, although I’m bad at judging these things. Natrani is part of this Darpana dance academy, and it’s a really cool place! I unfortunately didn’t have my camera to take pics (which Arpita teased me about the whole time we were there! Lol) but next month I will take it.

There were a few very short computer animated films, but they weren’t too memorable. One was just a dinosaur dancing basically. Two of the films really stood out. The first was a day following this little boy around town. It didn’t really have any dialogue. He was a bad little guy though, and kept getting in trouble for stealing things, like a sweet, some other kids’ toy. The kids chase him and it shows him running around the old city until he finally finds his mom. Very cute.

Then the other was called “The Little Terrorist” and it was about a village that was split when Pakistan broke from India. A little Muslim boy is playing with his friends on the Pak. Side and loses his ball, so he crosses the mine field to get it, but he can’t get back across. A Hindu Brahmin man finds him, and hides him in their house when soldiers are looking for him, and help him back across the border at night. Not really understanding the caste system, it was interesting for me because this Hindu man was of the highest caste, and apparently they aren’t supposed to associate with Muslims. So it shows them eating, and the Muslim boy touches the food and dishes, so the Hindus can’t eat it and break the plate.