Shor Se Shuruaat Review: This experimental film makes the right noise

The trend of a series of short films presented together in one feature film hasn’t quite kicked off in India, more so in Hindi cinema. The only well-known names that come to our minds are Bombay Talkies (2013), Dus Kahaniyaan (2007), Darna Mana Hai (2003) and its sequel Darna Zaroori Hai (2006). 

Humaramovie’s Shor Se Shuruaat becomes a rare film of this genre. As per the title, all seven films, directed by debutant directors, are based on the theme of shor [noise], and being presented by seven acclaimed filmmakers. Let’s have a look at each of them in detail. 

Azaad 
Director: Rahul Chittella 
Presenter: Mira Nair
The film revolves around a working professional (Atul Kulkarni) who is a columnist in a newspaper. He believes in walking the path of idealism. This also gets him into trouble regularly. His wife (Sakshi Tanwar) is worried for him and his son (Siddharth Menon) hates him. 

Azaad is an intensely told story. It captures various conflicts, both internal and external, with utmost honesty and leaves behind various uncomfortable questions. It also makes a bold statement against the suppression of freedom of expression and liberal thinking in today’s times. Atul Kulkarni is flawless as the protagonist. Tanwar is perfect as his wife. But Menon leaves behind a solid impact with mature acting skills. 
 
Aamer
Director: Amira Bhargava
Presenter: Zoya Akhtar
This is a story of a deaf kid (Pawan Manda Kale) who lives on the streets and sells gajra (flower garland for hair) on traffic signals. He has developed a close bond with a lady (Manjiri V Pupala) who sells flowers. Her aim in life is to save money to buy hearing machine for the kid. 

Aamer is a great example of visual storytelling. In fact, the film is all about visuals and sounds as it has no dialogues. Just like the setting, both characters appear as real people living under poverty line. They are urmost real. The use of sound deserves special mention here, especially the way it is used to present a powerful message at the very end. The film makes an important statement related to the present-day Mumbai. 

Decibel 
Director: Annie Zaidi 
Presenter: Sriram Raghavan
This is a futuristic film based in India. It follows the journey of Lina (Rasika Duggal), who has recently moved to a city and is finding it difficult to sleep due to the increased noise levels. She goes to a parlour where one is provided noiseless environment to sleep at night. Will Lina finally find sleep?

Decibel has an interesting idea that appears believable in the future going by the way things are. The execution too is convincing despite limited resources. It also has Raghavan’s stamp of quirkiness. But the film doesn’t give you the kind of kick in the end that other films in the series do. Rasika Duggal and the actor playing the parlour manager provide earnest performances. 

Hell O Hello
Director: Pratik Rajen Kothari
Presenter: Shyam Benegal
As the title goes, Hell O Hello revolves around a common man (Sahitya Sahay) who is being wooed by salesmen from rival mobile service providers. They keep introducing one scheme after another to lure him. What will he do ultimately?

The film is a satire that projects the noise of the ever-increasing marketing campaigns around us. It succeeds in it and also in asking the underlying question on the extreme level of cut-throat competition in today’s world. However, despite such a theme, the film is a laugh riot throughout. The idea of Saffron mobile deserves praise for its boldness in taking a dig at the ruling party. Sahay, Suchitra Pillai, Abhishek Pandey and Jay Upadhyay do what was required from them. Hell O Hello also has the right ingredients of being a one-act play. 

Dhvani 
Director: Supriya Sharma 
Presenter: Nagesh Kukunoor
Dhvani is about a convict (Sanjay Mishra) who will soon be hanged to death. He is a loner who has no expectations from life, except one. He presents his wish to the jailor but he refuses to carry it out. Will his last wish be fulfilled?

The film is more performance based and it manages to rise high because of Sanjay Mishra’s incredible performance. He speaks a lot through his eyes and expressions, something he has done a lot in the past too. But the director too makes her presence felt through the intense presentation that moves you as you think about the protagonist. 

Yellow Tin Can Telephone 
Director: Arunima Sharma 
Presenter: Homi Adajania 
Yellow Tin Can Telephone revolves around a girl (Asimah Mirza) who suffers being over-sensitive to sound. Hence, she has to constantly wear headphones. She meets a guy (Shikhar Misra) who is over-sensitive to light, which forces him to wear glasses. 

The film is a cute and colourful piece. Although it is based on the girl-meets-boy theme, it has a novelty factor due to the special condition of the two characters. But the disability angle is treated in a fresh manner, without making you feel sad for them. Mirza and Misra perfectly suit the characters. However, this one too falls short of other films due to the kick factor. 

Mia I’M
Director: Satish Raj 
Presenter: Imtiaz Ali 
The protagonist is a young girl in her 20s who lives as a recluse at a secluded place in the north east of India. She constantly keeps her earphones on along with a hood over her head. A local boy becomes curious about her. Who exactly is she? What is her aim in life?

This is yet another film in the series that says a lot with hardly any use of dialogues. Initially it seems as if the girl is suffering from some ailment. But the truth, when it is revealed, comes as a shock. This indeed should be considered a success on the part of the narration. The hard-hitting way of ending the tale is also praiseworthy. The girl playing the protagonist shows some excellent acting skills while playing a difficult character.

- By Keyur Seta