WATCH THE FILM HERE
First, the Recap:
It is said that things are best when they’re all natural. The notion is often associated with food, ushering in what should be a much healthier diet and lifestyle. However, what exactly do we do when the concept gets applied to another facet of our human lives that generally promotes two basic responses–laughter or disgust? In this case, we follow a newly wedded man (Jeevan Singh Rawat) who’s currently trying to process the fact his first night as a spouse approaches, nervously so, even as his two friends (Anil Kumar Chaudhary & Vikas Gautam) loudly make efforts to “cheer” him up with crass comments and “life advice”, more out of drunken stupor than offering any actual wisdom.
Growing weary and even more unsettled, the man is finally called downstairs from his rooftop hiding place, running into his father along the way who proceeds to bombard him with more alcohol-infused nonsense, which only keeps making the man’s need to escape it all even more fervent. Finally managing to make it to the bedroom, the man finds his new bride (Ankita Dubey) reluctant to enter into any immediate intimacy. Then, when things seem to be circling around to where they should be–a sudden and quite pronounced sound breaks the silence, leading to a completely unanticipated and lengthy oration by his new wife about the history of such incidents in her own family and the significance of it all in the now, much to the man’s dismay.
Next, my Mind:
Well, may it never be uttered that independent film, like country music within its particular artistic realm, is afraid to tackle even the most obscure or potentially outrageous themes and/or topics and do it in a way that ends up providing the viewer with an entertaining romp and, perhaps, an actual cultural lesson to boot. This is exactly what is accomplished via the 11-minute romcom short from director/editor Devesh Singh Bora, writer/editor Rahul Singh Bora, and writer Shanshank Shekhar Dwivedi, focused on one man’s already nerve-wracked first night as a husband that only goes from bad to–strange and hilarious?–when his beautiful bride begins their evening off by breaking wind.
What follows that pivotal moment initiates much of the humor found in the film, as the last topic a newlywed man wants to be focused on is farting, much less the parade of truths about it that spill forth from his wife in its wake. It could be argued at this juncture it is a sign of openness and “being natural” to let loose in front of one another, but culturally in India, anyone doing this in public, especially a woman, is not exactly accepted tradition. But, again, here it is played for comedy and succeeds. The visual look is uncomplicated and smoothly shot, with transitions from scene to scene maybe just a little rough. However, given the film’s intent and subject matter, there’s no distraction caused by any of that, since you’ll be busy laughing.
Rawat does a solid job in his portrayal of the man, an individual already going through enough stress as it is having made it through what was surely a beautiful but extended ceremony, now just wanting to retreat to the bedroom to enjoy some privacy with his new wife. Yet, between his two friends desiring to share their ideas about how he should behave and his father wanting to address totally random items, this man has come to the end of his patience, which only makes the predicament that proceeds all of this the final strike against him and the evening’s highly anticipated goal. Rawat enacts these nuances well with great physical humor and facial expressions that deftly tell the tale of one man’s desperate and ultimately unfulfilled plans for a happy night.
Dubey gets the dubious honor of being the one to set the film’s entire narrative intent on course in playing the man’s bride, a beautiful woman still adorned with the ornaments and jewelry of her special day, sitting on their wedding bed and, we assume anyway, likewise trying to prepare for the couple’s first night together. But, rather than hugs and kisses–she farts. Yet, rather than being embarrassed, she chooses to pontificate on her experiences with the emission and how it runs in her family, doing this in such a “matter-of-fact” way that it elicits the laughs the moments seek to induce, because she takes it all so seriously. For this reviewer, how Dubey managed to keep a straight face during all this is testament enough to the actress’s skills as it is, and her delivery is spot on for the comedic timing needed to put the final exclamation point on her character’s opinions about farting overall.
Supporting turns were nice and straightforward from Chaudhary and Gautam as the man’s friends, confidants, and life-lesson sharers. In total, “Paad (Fart)” is a witty little indie short film that takes it’s subject seriously without actually taking it to heart TOO much so as to allow the viewer to appreciate the humor and silliness of it all while realizing there’s an actual societal theme being explored. It takes a little time for the narrative to reach that key moment, but it’s so worth the wait! Now, would someone please pass the gas?
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
