Arati Kadav’s short film 55 KM/Sec, starring Richa Chadha, to be released soon; see poster

The poster of Cargo (2020) director Arati Kadav’s next project, starring Richa Chadha and Mrinal Dutt, depicts scenes from the earth before an imminent meteor strike. The 20-minute film, 55 KM/Sec, was filmed remotely during the lockdown by Kadav and her team.

The sci-fi film is due to be streamed on Amazon Prime Video US and UK and is expected to be released in India soon afterwards. The film takes place shortly before a meteor hits earth, when a man reveals his college crush over a farewell call with his schoolmates. With time to spare before the collision, he makes one last call to her before the world ends.

The gorgeously hand-drawn poster prominently features the meteor with various panels depicting scenes from the short, as the man waits for the impact and makes that one last phone call.

Two intriguing panels feature text; one is a mobile phone screen with the words, 'Your sacrifice will be remembered', and other shows someone holding a card with the quirky poem that reads, 'Roses are red, violets are blue, you have a nice butt'.

In a press release, Chadha said, “Arati has a strongly unique imagination and a point of view, which is what makes her a great director to collaborate with. Science fiction for me has always been a point of intrigue as a genre. And the realm of it meeting the idea of apocalypse is very exciting. The project was a great experiment to be part of during the lockdown as the story is smartly woven into the narrative of a virtual shoot.”

Kadav wrote the short during the lockdown. “The idea was to cheer ourselves up during that phase but we actually ended up having lots of fun,” she said. “It was also a warm, humbling and unifying experience to work with so many people from so many cities, and as a director to work with so many restrictions.”

“For me, the real stars were the actors, especially Richa Chadha and Mrinal, who at times were doubling up as their own stylists, production designers, camera persons and were doing the hard job of acting and keeping the spirits of the team high and later even doing the data transfer,” Karav added.

“And though it is a sci-fi story about a meteor hurtling towards us, for me this story or process was about finding real connections despite the uncertainties and complexities in the world. It was a way to touch on all that was going on, to recognise the beauty in all that we have, and I truly hope, as 2020 ends, we all find ways to embrace this warmth, love and simplicity in our lives and relationships,” she said.