Synopsis
Wajood (Selfhood) is story of a transgender who identifies self as a she. This short film depicts emotions of most sidelined section of Indian society through her. While the protagonist is dealt the wrong cards by cruel fate, she has all the emotions of a normal human being. Like us, she feels hots for a person of different sex. Likewise, she also feels ashamed and bad at being disrespected. Amidst all this, though, she also recognizes her identity and finds happiness in small things.
What Works
Wajood finally fills the gap on honest simple stories about the ignored gender. The short film showcases the identity of the third gender with impact, yet with sweetness. With the very short runtime of 8 minutes, the protagonist wins not only our sympathy, but also our admiration.
Wajood has a pretty everyday story and we loved that. We can easily find the works which talk about the atrocities to present the wrongs done to any group. One just needs to check Whatsapp. However, this short film through its narration takes the audience through a different path. It makes the audience to see through the difference in the thought process between the observer and the observed.
This short film excels also on the acting, music and cinematography fronts. Actors have done a great job, and it is overall, a gem from writer-director Vishal Srivastava.
What could have been better
On Wajood, actually the question would have been “what could have been just marginally better”. You just might be able to notice it in dialogues of the head transgender if you focus, but nothing to ponder over.
Verdict
In nutshell, Wajood is a great short film, and a must watch.
AglaPlay Verdict: A must watch, sweet, situational Rom-Com
AglaPlay Rating: 3.5/5
Language: Hindi / English
Duration: ~8 minutes
Writer-Director: Neha Pawar
Cast: Ashwani Kumar,
Kalyani Pandit