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First, the Recap:
How many instances have we found that in a world that so often seems unimaginably vast, it can become smaller in a single moment when the unexpected connection to another human being comes about. How this affects us, allowing us to feel that rush of astonishing anticipation, can be fulfilling and necessary, a potential resolution to past events–or the beginnings of something wonderfully new. Radio host RJ Riyaaz (Rajiv RJ Paul) hosts a show called “This Enchanting Evening”, focused on poetry readings and taking calls from listeners wishing to share their stories. During one particular broadcast, a specific caller named Avinash (Shishir Sharma) sparks an unforeseen association with another listener named Seema (Sangeeta Agrawal), their ensuing conversation birthing that which could change both of their lives forever.
Next, my Mind:
Gorgeously straightforward, magnificently charming, and delivering the style of story this critic felt was the stuff of exactly the fashion of prose being explored–poetry–this delightfully engaging short film from writer/director/producer/actress Sangeeta Agrawal and producer/actor (plus real life radio jockey!) Rajiv RJ Paul provides you with a refreshing, light-hearted, but still poignantly dramatic narrative that certainly shares a scenario that, in many ways, all of us might dream of when it comes to the wonder of serendipitous human interaction and the subsequent relationships it might form. Having its screenings as a part of the 2021 Virtual South Asian Film Festival presented by Toyota USA, supported by AARP, produced by Jingo Ventures, and in association with DFW SAFF & NYC SAFF, it is this project’s inescapable appeal that allows the viewer to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the broadcast.
Tapping into that often expected allure of radio shows of similar ilk and how, in this particular circumstance, a random caller ignites a possible reconnection with the past that could likewise become a precursor to something even more heartwarming, the film wastes no time utilizing its truncated runtime to gracefully and with purposeful ease flesh out a beautiful journey abounding in the power of memory and things that might have or could have been. It also specifically touches on our own habits of seeing what we wish yet being afraid or unwilling to pursue it and the means by which we attempt to augment that fear and still feel we’ve taken productive steps forward, with results that may or may not manifest in the form we wish, if at all. Yet how this incredible animal we call life can bring about the unpredicted is given its due notice and how the narrative unfolds here is smartly executed to direct us, initially, one way but then, by mid-way through and to the finale, adjust our perspective in a fully believable and still stirring, smile-inducing manner.
I feel this is the method of storytelling that is desperately needed in the contemporary age we’re currently inhabiting, as anything that can usher forth concepts of humanity in a deliberately elegant, expressive, and positively evocative way can only aid in allowing us the escape from so much of the chaotic societal state we find ourselves in. Additionally, the film actually does a fantastic job with the idea of coincidence and how this can even be such a potent force in extraordinary happenstance, but precisely how this is accomplished, well, you must do the obvious–watch the film when you’re able! Visually the film is very uncomplicated and direct, which is all that’s needed to tell the story it is, and it gives the means for the camera to embrace its characters in order to elicit the emotional quotient that is quite present as events carry forward as depicted.
I have had the honor of meeting Agrawal in person at a previous DFW SAFF event in 2018 as well as having screened and reviewed two of her other short films, “Five O’Clock Shadow” and “The Dig“, and all I must say is that her utterly accessible, sincere, down-to-earth believability in real life, behind the camera, and now once again in front of it is so affecting and tangible. Here, she again presents this excellent demeanor through her role as Seema, a woman tuning into what we come to know is a favorite radio show that allows her to unwind and drift away in poetic reverie. Then, one evening, when a caller into the show shares a story that slowly reveals a memory Seema realizes has relevance to the past, it becomes a newly exhilarating adventure to call in herself and connect with him. What transpires from there is an exchange filled with honesty and deep trust, and throughout, Agrawal sells us on the depth of impact this has on Seema with emotively warming, realistic, quietly passionate drive.
Genuinely, the same can be said for Sharma via his turn as Avinash, a humble but confident doctor from Delhi who chooses to call into the radio show to reflect on how a poem recently aired has brought about a powerful moment of reminiscence that prompts him to expound on a tale from his own youth and the effect it had on him to this day. Unbeknownst to him, another listener who’s taken in his anecdote and discovers she’s got more than a potential relation to it is about to call in. Once they are united, Avinash’s soft-spoken, highly pleasant demeanor leads the way to a chat that is filled with the whimsey of remembrance and the prospects of things yet determined but still initiate a flame of, dare we say, giddiness and opportunity that is superbly displayed, with Sharma’s affable manner and completely grounded relatability shining forth with an energetic yet soft energy.
Not at all to be forgotten, given his character is the catalyst for what we witness here, is Paul and his role as radio host RJ Riyaaz, who transports his listeners into a calm, soothing reality via the poetry readings the show centers on. His own voice, which is also definitively warm and relaxing, flows with its own sense of “verse” as he encourages callers to dish out their own thoughts on air. Upon taking Avinash’s call and getting swept up in it alone, the added twist of then receiving Seema’s impassioned call to connect to Avinash gives Riyaaz such a fulfilling experience in itself, and given how Paul IS a real life radio personality only aids in his skill to bring this character to life in a way that feels, unsurprisingly, unforced and unfeigned. It’s a wonderful bit to reality influencing fiction in the best of ways, and Paul nails it with a perceptible ease that only makes his performance more enjoyable.
So, in total, “Ye Shaam Mastaani” is yet another short film effort from this year’s VSAFF that causes the viewer to be immersed in the fanciful but wholly plausible sentimentality conveyed while letting your own mind fly away in a romantic haze, bringing peace and earnest snugness to the heart and soul, which as mentioned above, is a place we could all stand to abscond to a lot more in this frenetic actuality we exist in. Wishing you all a truly enchanting evening, this is film critic OneFilmFan saying “Goodnight and God bless”.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
