Sukhpreet Kahlon
New Delhi, 24 Sep 2021 20:42 IST
Directed by Samujjal Kashyap, it offers a refreshing take on mature love and finding togetherness.
Directed by Samujjal Kashyap, the Assamese-language short film Arranged, starring Lima Das and Ranjeev Lal Barua, captures the awkwardness of a middle-aged couple who are brought together through an arranged marriage and are learning to navigate their relationship.
Set in the lockdown, the film explores the relationship between Jayanta (Barua), a 45-year-old introverted man, and Jurima (Das) whose relationship is more formal than loving. Even though they are bound to be home during the lockdown, they talk sparingly and mostly about functional, household matters. Their observant and enthusiastic tenant Chaudhary (Harsh Siddhanta), witnesses their awkward manner with each other and counsels Jayanta on how to get closer to his wife. Even though he is admonished by his friend to not be an ‘aunty’, Chaudhary cannot help himself and lays out Jayanta’s situation before him.
Arranged portrays the unease in mature relationships realistically as it shows the couple tiptoeing around each other, talking about everyday domestic matters while staying away from expressing their own feelings and thoughts. Through this, the film sees conversation as being the first step towards building companionship.
Written by Siddhanta, Arranged deploys the character of Chaudhary to tell us about Jayanta’s character and vocalize what the couple is going through. The cinematographer Nagen Baishya uses the spaces within the house well to portray the emotional distance between the couple as well as the desire to share each other’s space.
Barua portrays the shy introvert effectively and we can tell that he is enamoured of his wife, unable to muster up the courage to freely speak to her. Das too is wonderful in her performance as a dutiful wife who busies herself with chores and understands her husband’s reticence. Although the pace of the film is slow, the charming ending makes up for it.
The film has been uploaded on the KC Digital Films YouTube channel.
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