Sunday, December 4, 2016

Chutney Review

Better late than never.
I finally watched the much talked about short film Chutney by Jyothi Kapur Das, and here is what I felt.
Full marks to the cast. All actors have a done a fab job, especially Tisca. The make-up artists who worked on Tisca have done an amazing job. Might have been a task to make a pretty woman look less attractive.
Story- Novel and very good, Dialogues- Good, Screenplay- Very good. 
Cinematography- Nothing to shout about.
Direction- Good, could have been better.
Editing- Poor.
Couple of observations: 
There is dissolve between two shots of cloths set on fire and it burning. It will be difficult to find such an amateur edit even in a student film today. Could have put an insert of a digging shot and that would have sorted it.
The real feel of the film that the director sets up, is disturbed by a shot of Biki walking-in in high speed. I feel the high-speed was unnecessary here, because it takes you off the realistic space you have been set-in. If you really wanted a high-speed shot (if you feel that’s the only way to add drama) you should have shot it in high-speed, rather than slowing it down in post, which gives it a Tv serial feel, and degrades the essence of the style.
An unevenly framed drone shot to end the film? Again I do not see the purpose of that shot, it only destroys the simplicity and innocence of the film. Can’t find its significance, dissolving into a google map!
Could have ended it on a tele-close of the bowl of Chutney, that would have been simple, classy and meaningful, instead of the Matrix shot.
Well! Just a few minor err, I felt.
Although one might feel it is over-hyped/over rated, one will like it for the story, and for Tisca. Execution could have been better, which could have transformed a good film to a class act.
Applause for the efforts.

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