Baatein ★★½

Filmfare nominated short film which tries to deliver a social message.

Synopsis: A young guy (Jeet) visits his friend’s mother (Mrs Deshpande). The two spend the day together accompanied by Mrs Deshpande’s niece, Tulika. They meet once again when Mrs Deshpande and Tulika visit Jeet at his home. The conversations among them and a cut-scene uncovers the sad past of their lives. Some of the talks is unsettling and uncomfortable to the participants. What is that past? Do these conversations help Jeet and Mrs Deshpande to look forward to the future?

What works: Portrayal of Mrs Deshpande by Supriya ji is very good. I remember her from hit TV series Tu Tu Main Main days and she has been an amazing actress in all her roles – so believable, so genuine. Baatein is no exception. The cinematography and music are good. There is also a social message which the film tries to deliver, so thumbs up to Adeeb.

Negatives: Sadly, the acting of the other actors – Adeeb and Sankalp – is simply not engaging. I mean, it is not that they are bad. It is just that I did not felt involved in the roles, neither I felt sympathy for the characters they portrayed. Shivani in the role of Tulika fits well, but there is not much for her to do in the story line. The story would have moved on without her being the third (or fourth) wheel. The impact that such a story should have on the viewers is missing. That spark, that raw connect one needs to create with viewers is amiss in this presentation.

Overall: It is a very average short film in my opinion.
Is there anything bad or unwatchable in it? No.
Should you spend 20 minutes to watch this? Ehh.. May be not. There are better films out there.

But don’t take my opinion alone. It was nominated for Filmfare awards, after all! Watch and let us know of YOUR opinion!

AglaPlay Verdict: A very average short film with a social message
AglaPlay Rating: 2.5/5
Language: Hindi
Duration: ~20 minutes
Writer: Adeeb Rais
Director:  Adeeb Rais
Cast: Supriya Pilgaonkar (Mrs Deshpande),
Adeeb Rais (Jeet),
Sankalp Joshi (Nishant) &
Shivani Raghuvanshi (Tulika)
Baatein: Mediocre at best

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