NO TRAILER CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
First, the Recap:
Phone calls. CONSTANT phone calls. From UNKNOWN numbers. It is safe to assume that most anyone with common sense realizes this kind of absolute annoyance is so definitively, well, ANNOYING. Despite the wonders of call screening and our basic choice NOT to answer, the incessant nature of what most likely amount to sales calls or even potential scams, it’s an ongoing factor in our lives we must contend with. However, did you ever consider what might happen if the tables were turned? In the closed-up home of Mrs. Varma (Radhika Hingwe), it would appear there’s a wash-rinse-repeat routine she resides within, brought about by loss and loneliness. The phone keeps ringing each morning from the same number, which she ignores until finally making the decision to answer. What transpires over the next amount of time could spell being manipulated or instead engender a cathartic release.
Next, my Mind:
Coming off its World Premiere as part of the Senior Citizens Programming on top of winning both Best Shorts Director-Male and Best Actress awards at the 2022 DFW SAFF sponsored by Toyota USA and hosted by Jingo Media Founder/Festival Director Jitin Hingorani and Artistic Director Ambica Dev, it only takes the film’s abbreviated runtime of fifteen minutes for the project to serve up a winning piece of filmmaking mastery, creative genius, a “take that!” mentality for the viewer, and invoke emotively stirring resonance that echos in your mind well after the credits roll. The aforementioned excellence in writing and directing we’re entreated to is thanks to the work of director Harsh Mahadeshwar, writer/co-director Shawn Parikh, and executive producer Gurp Bhandal who do complete justice to indie cinema by once more showing us why the genre is ultimately the place to look for fresh perspectives and original ideas that carry the entertainment value and socially aware combination which makes it all so worth appreciating.
With an affecting narrative here, we are given the viewpoint of an elderly woman clearly in a state of general melancholy having to handle the frustrations of a daily call that always rings in at the same time but that she’s subsequently ignored until deciding to end the cacophony by answering one morning. From this critical starting point, what follows is nothing less than brilliant for this critic in that it so deftly speaks to ANY of us who’ve ever made the mistake in answering a “junk”/telemarketing call and then actually allow ourselves to, at minimum, get swallowed up in the ensuing spiel for a spell before realizing it’s “I gotta go, thanks!” time and hang up. However, in the context of this story, it sadly comes down to everything we’ve heard way too much about when being advised about elder abuse and the scams that target older people purposefully in attempts to confuse them via making promises or “legitimate” offers and then dupe them out of potentially large sums of money.
Facing the pressure, “assurances”, convincing arguments, and most eerily the realities of what they seem to KNOW about us, the individual on the phone strives to be our best friend, and this is where so many get dragged down into the hole being dug for them. Yet, as this film conveys, the call in question is taken in a MUCH different direction than is expected and soon it is more a fight as to who is actually controlling who, and THIS gives the narrative its edge and genuine cleverness that leads to a finale that is SO intensely executed that you’re reverberating with empathy for the lead character, as it’s all showcasing a catalyst that could impact her life in a drastic way. HOW this unfolds and resolves itself I cannot further describe as that would be venturing into the “no-no” land of spoilers, and this critic tries his level best NEVER to ruin or divulge too much about a film’s story, as it needs to be SEEN to gain the understanding necessary to acknowledge then cherish how this film finds its focus and primary themes.
Hingwe is thoroughly fantastic in her performance, thanks to that oft mentioned element this critic brings up when it comes to character/narrative-centric indie films–understatement. There’s such a beautiful amount of energy and soft yet present fervency that emanates through the actress via her title role as Mrs. Varma, a woman of advanced age whose life has hit a turning point due to recent loss which has now left her alone and shut out from the rest of the world. Pestered by a daily call that disturbs her morning routine, regardless of how empty it seems, she finally answers and embarks on a call that has a greater effect on her life than she counted on. It’s simply awesome to view Hingwe as she navigates the character through the phone call, guiding us through it with that previously hinted-at level of quiet resolve that speaks SO loudly to us and truly immerses us in the relatability to her character’s overall circumstances from start to finish. Anyone who thinks this would be an easy part to play, honestly, think again. THIS is acting, in my opinion, at some of its best, being able to SELL the viewer on the character, maintaining focus on delivering the desired, even if subtle, emotional states to successfully draw us in, and Hingwe does that excellently.
Supporting turns are via a voice only performance from Sneha Bhalerao Nayar as the caller named Sally. So, in total, “Is This Mrs. Varma?” starts its journey into the world with a bang, a worthy short film effort that should make its mark well beyond DFW SAFF, though it will always be the place it launched out from at this point, a huge credit to the festival and its organizers for choosing the film for the event. This critic hopes the film will elicit like reactions as I had, and that it will forever remind us that, given the right situations, can we too experience something that’s meant to trap us become a viable source of freedom? When that phone rings, perhaps we need to answer and find out.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
