WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Desirability and the yearning for connection. When we are discovering the need to find that special someone, it pulls us, drives us forward with a unique momentum within our being unlike any other feeling. But, to actually run across the one who will impact us with that much force can not only be challenging, but sometimes seem like it might never be. Isn’t that when it comes about, though, when we least anticipate it. For the more conservative, straightforward-thinking Krishna (Serena Walia), it is such an instance when attending an Indian dance festival where she meets the spontaneous and carefree Alia (Ayushi Gupta), sparking a building series of interactions that will end up showing both women the undeniable potency that magnetism and a steadily unveiling of mutual interest could manifest between them.
Next, my Mind:
Completely unpretentious and wholly accessible in its delivery, this enchantingly orchestrated short film from writer/director Aarti Neharsh, writer/producer Chintan Bhatt, producers Manan Bhatt and Rahul Tejwani, plus executive producer Manashree Jani feels like we’re witnessing an unfolding fairy tale via its dramatic, beautifully executed atmosphere of innocent charm, pure romance, and foundational core of unexpected encounters it conveys. As my final “in advance” review while covering the 2022 DFW SAFF sponsored by Toyota USA and hosted by Jingo Media Founder/Festival Director Jitin Hingorani and Artistic Director Ambica Dev, the project will have its Texas Premier as a part of the Love, Lost & Found Programming during the event, and certainly deserves its placing in that particular category, as the effort speaks in so many respects to both those concepts quite adeptly.
Centered on the first meeting between two young women who are attending a dance festival and soon find themselves conversing and gaining a closer relationship as the evening progresses, what I feel elicits the almost fantastical yet utterly relatable and emotively touching air the film carries is, as hinted at above, the sheer simplicity of it all and how the narrative is depicted. As this critic has stated more than a few times (probably hundreds at this point!), it is the grounded nature of indie cinema that allows for uncomplicated direction and style to NOT be a BAD thing, but rather serve as a total benefit for us as the viewer in that our hearts and minds are invested in the characters themselves rather than overt amounts of superfluous “fluff” that might distract instead. The manner in which the coming together of the two women’s lives was so deftly captivating in its presentation here that I know I wasn’t able to stop being mesmerized by the portrayal of the intensifying allure forming as they continue to explore what could be.
Additionally, the characters represented also showcase a perfect variation in the overall life outlook and demeanor they endeavor to exist through, adding an intelligently delivered dimension to how those ideals and notions both clash yet indisputably become a draw, speaking to what I felt is the idea of “opposites attract”. Also, it therefore calls to our minds the very elements of being with someone else that are so often lost in the chaos of our lives, whether its our jobs or other things that seem to constantly try to interrupt our ability to consider committing to a relationship, especially a brand new one, more so if with another who has a far more casual, impromptu stance to the way they choose to conduct themselves. On top of all this, we are privy to thematic components that cover all the joys of flirtations, enamored smiles, the sensation of both inward and outward contact, along with being guarded vs. embracing the moment, decisions, regrets, do we take the leap or not, trust, and separation.
The cleverness of the film’s finale is one that you need to see and make up your own mind as to the amount of conjecture it presents, but regardless of how you might feel, this critic will just say he found the ending very interesting and unique given the narrative’s course to that point. Walia exudes a sublimely reticent bearing here through her role as Krishna, a beautiful woman attending a dance festival who soon finds herself gaining an unforeseen, fresh, and surprising bond with another woman. As she clearly remains quietly hesitant about how much to open up to something she never saw coming, Krishna’s focus on work and possibly past experiences in love initially keep her from totally opening up–at first. Watching as the character gets brought out of that shell in slow, methodical ways as the conversations she has with this new individual take place, it’s so endearing and affecting, with Walia’s performance stirring us with its poignancy and believability throughout.
Likewise, Gupta brings forth an absolutely irresistible level of unimpeachably playful and, dare I even say, seductively beguiling comportment through her role as Alia, the free-spirited but still wholly respectable woman who finds her interest drawn to Krishna almost from the first time they interact at the festival. Even as Alia becomes the one to initiate the preliminary show of attentiveness and engrossment towards Krishna and anything that could be formed between them, she remains a bastion of not just confidence and self-awareness, but patience and understanding while still allowing herself to BE herself, forward but not pushy, longing without desperation, feeling without being melodramatic. It all comes out through her mildly frisky, lightly teasing smiles and body language, attempting to let Krishna discover how she’s feeling and coax it out without pressure or pretense. Like Walia, it’s an engaging, memorable performance that so magnificently befits the story and the plight of these two love-struck people.
So, in total, “The Song We Sang” revels, thrives, and basks in the portrait of love it communicates, a harkening back perhaps to times when life WASN’T so immersed in needless obstacles and/or hinderances that wish to interrupt the delicate yet unadulterated magic that is human connection, where the HEART rules the mind, and the seeking out or unpredicted emergence of love didn’t seem like such a chore. While the film may also unapologetically indicate the differing outcomes this kind of shared journey might yield, may knowing that never prevent us from hoping that the degree of euphoric infatuation we see here will be something we can ALL get to face in the most compelling, true, and fulfilling of ways.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
