Growing Trend of Short Films in India

With lesser attention span and growing knowledge of the people residing in India, shorter films, videos, songs are preferred over longer ones. Short Films took its time but are here in India, with a concrete amount of viewership. The Short Film Festivals across India have been a part of the reason for this growing space like the Shankar Nag Short Film Festival in Bangalore, the Rolling Reels Short Film Festival, etc. They have also been given space in the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival and the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

The idea of short films challenges filmmakers to tell their story in a limited amount of time. Short Films have been directed by various accomplished filmmakers like Sujoy Ghosh, Sudhir Mishra, Anurag Kashyap, etc. Eminent figures from the Bollywood Film Industry in India are coming ahead to give their efforts in short films. Naseeruddin Shah has been a part of “Interior Café Night,” Irrfan Khan played a role in “Bypass” and “Ek Shaam Ki Mulaaqat.”

The trend is being fed by the emergence of new platforms, audiences and increasing demand of shorter content. Multiplex chains like PVR and online platforms are making short films accessible and people are watching them. Surveying the current generation, Saaleha Fatima, a third year student from CNLU, who is an avid short film viewer said, “15-20 mins is not a big commitment and I watch these short films when I get the time in between meetings and classes.” Saaleha also mentioned about the award winning short film her group created for an Interschool fest. Short Films consisting of several genres and types, provided the 18 year olds a broad category to select from. Choosing the best skills from all the team members, they made a short film named “Birthday Suit” and won the competition.

Nikhil Singal, director of “Letters” which gained popularity and is based on the censorship of letters that was practiced during the Second World War, in a conversation with IANS, spoke about the process of selecting short film as a medium. Making a short film depends on the subject, some of them are a perfect fit for a full length feature film but some might make an impact in the short film category. Budding filmmakers may choose short films as an option because of the low budget requirement. Keeping aside the length, short films require equal efforts as the feature films.

With growing interests of people in the short content format, one of the main things missing would be the celebration of short films in bigger film festivals and theatrical launch. Short Film makers depend on OTT platforms for a digital release and traction. In an interview with the Indian Express, Aparshakti Kurrana, protagonist in the short films ‘Sepia’ and ‘Nawab’ spoke about the actor’s perspective on the growing trend of short films. As actors, they don’t really mind working in short or feature films. He pointed out that the story and being in sync with the audience is what matters the most.

Lastly, film critics have been paying attention to short films as well and that’s how being vocal and starting a conversation about shorter content has benefitted the short films to grow as a trend in India. Short films may be difficult to find as they do not generally pop up in our news feed or nearby theatre but internet has definitely made it easier for us to explore short films that deserve our attention and tell amazing stories.