A Short Film About Time

A young woman with a broken heart, her therapist and his watch

Fiction | 11 min | English | India | 2000

A Short Film About Time is a short fiction film which depicts the sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always shifting relationship between a young woman with a broken heart, her psychotherapist, and his watch. Through their interaction, the film wonders about the nature of pain, the meaning of time, and the means of making it pass – or not pass.

A Short Film About Time was shot in a day and completely self-financed in the days when it was rather uncommon in India. This was made possible by the entry of new mini-DV cameras, in the case of this film, the Sony VX-1000. It is possibly (though hard to confirm) the first or among the first short fiction films made on DV in India.

Other notable trivia about this film – it was shot in the house of future Oscar winner Resul Pokutty, which he then shared with the camera person of this film. The cameraperson and director painted the door while Resul was away on a shoot. Radhika, the film’s heroine was played by Surabhi Sharma, who went on to make documentaries like Jari Mari and Jahaji Music. The shrink was played by an actual clinical psychologist, Dilip Panniker – though this fact was discovered only after he had been cast because ‘something about his manner seems right for the role.’

Note: Gulzar, who is credited in the acting was not the noted lyricist and poet Gulzar but the raddii walla who agreed to be in one shot.

Festivals

• The Up-and-Coming Festival in Hanover, 2000
• Bite the Mango, 2000
• Kinofilm 2000
• Ajijic Film Festival, 2000
• Sunday Ghetto (Dublin)
• Short Cuts/The Raw and the Cooked – Short Films at the British Council (New Delhi)
• Chauraha, NCPA (Bombay)

BUY A SHORT FILM ABOUT TIME – INTERNATIONAL