WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
An innocense of action and the unnecessary abdication of what we stand for. We all have those we look up to, idolize to appropriate degrees, and even wish to emulate to the ideal improvement of our own self-image as well as others. However, if we inadvertently upend invisible yet persistently present boundaries that offends, what is the more decent path to tread that can issue forth understanding and reconciliation instead of abject hate? A young boy named Zameer (Vedant Shrisagar) utterly adores his hero, Shivaji. Ardently expressive in this love and finding overt confidence in this adoration, Zameer makes a choice to further support his idol in a unique manner, which also serves to guard his most prized possessions. But, when this decision raises the ire of local villagers, the ensuing consequences will alter Zameer’s outlook on life and its sometimes harsh realities.
Next, my Mind:
What initially struck me most about this 15-minute short film effort from director/producer Raj Pritam More, writer Kailash Waghmare, and producer Santosh Maithani is the purely charming, wholly smile and childhood memory-inducing, unimpeachably winsome atmosphere the effort creates from the get go, drawing the viewer immediately and with delightful intent into the life of this young boy and his fantastical imagination and attitude he strives to make his life about. This wonderfully endearing yet ultimately, surprisingly agonizingly heart-rending gem, a 67th National Film Awards nominee for Best Debut Director (non-feature film) in India, treated us to its whimsical air during an NYC Premier at the 2021 NYC South Asian Film Festival sponsored by Toyota USA and hosted by Festival Director/Jingo Media Founder Jitin Hingorani and Artistic Director Ambica Dev.
You might have noticed in this critic’s initial impression via the descriptions above that what starts as a fantastically executed portrait of straightforward, affecting, engaging, humorous views of how we chase our heroes and desire to find validation and comfort in them takes a very sudden, unanticipated turn which is equally well-presented and impactful, but in the totally opposite manner than we were immersed in. In doing so, however, it makes what is, sadly, a deeply necessary and unapologetically forceful proclamation about the state of this world, the damaging nature of judgement and misplaced anger, and the subsequent aftermath and affect it has on someone, concepts all made even more convincingly persuasive when portrayed through the eyes of a young child who has no true grasp of anything he’s done being inappropriate, much less worthy of the experience he is to face when made to accept it.
The mere fact that such observable, conspicuous, and excessive, unneeded malice would be directed towards a child, regardless of the grander circumstances in play, really speaks volumes to just how much this current society worldwide requires a radical re-awakening to what it is to just be HUMAN to one another. The film is so effective in presenting this through the storyline provided, that you as a viewer find yourself stirred to your core by the events both joyful and disheartening, from the film’s whimsical starting point to its tear-laden finale. Conflicting religious belief and the associated persecution it can be a harbinger of has always been a source of, well, conflict no matter WHAT you personally adhere to, and witnessing how it plays into this narrative should serve US as the awareness-raising battle cry to re-assess the means by which we stand for what we believe while allowing level-headed stipulations on how we might address those opposed to it so that scenarios like conveyed in this film don’t have to occur.
Shrisagar, with one hundred percent amazingness and captivatingly winning personality tempered with an acting maturity that definitely defies his age, presents us with a character to both root for and greatly sympathize with via his role as Zameer, a young boy who likes to get caught up in not only guarding his most prized of possessions, but doing so in a fashion that stands out amongst others while giving him the sheer elation of being a warrior at heart and visualized action like his heroic idol. Taking this a next step, Zameer feels even more brazenly, but playfully so, emboldened until a friend of his father’s enters the picture and causes an uproar that threatens to undo all that Zameer is so innocently enacting, leading to a disarmingly difficult and hurtful lesson about growing up. It’s an honestly volatile range of emotional punch that Zameer goes through, and watching how deftly Shrisagar is able to embody this is highly impressive and should certainly indicate a future star in the making.
Supporting turns arrive from Kailash Waghmare as Zameer’s father Shafiq, who ends up in the unenviable position of having to defend his son against the protestations of others in their village and their apparent offense brought about by Zameer, Shruti Madhudeep as Zameer’s mother/Shafiq’s wife, Meenakshi Rathod as the teacher at Zameer’s school, and Sheshpal Ganvir as Shafiq’s friend who becomes the instigator of the troubles. In total, “Khisa (Pocket)” is not only an entertaining short film effort with plenty of excellently light-hearted moments to treasure, but it also becomes the keenly evocative vessel to deliver, as mentioned earlier, an essential core message that we all should take to heart and put better thought into so as to see a world made better by demonstrated understanding and a celebration of differences, as it doesn’t take believing in all the same things to perpetrate love, healing, and a better place to reside in this world. But, STAND FIRM for what you stand for and wear it proudly, in your pocket, or otherwise.
Miss viewing “Khisa (Pocket)” at either physical festival? Worry not! You can still check out the film for a few more days online as it currently screens as part of Virtual SAFF 2021!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
