A tenderly aching tale of innocence, friendship and resilience, Piyush Thakur’s National Award-winning short The First Film generously draws from the silent era and Chaplinesque charm. But it is discerningly Indian in approach and treatment. The 24-minute movie was honoured twice at the recently held 71st National Film Awards – Swarna Kamal for Best Direction and Rajat Kamal for Best Music Direction. Set in 1960s India, the coming-of-age drama features Priyanka Beriya (as Devi) and Vasudev Nishad (as Mohan) in the lead. A ticking clock and a lantern guide you back to our country’s rural past when incomes were meagre and lives minimalist. While patriarchy peaked among disadvantaged communities, cinema remained a pulsating force that influenced the collective psyche. Hand-painted posters mounted in rickshaws along with a loudspeaker and quick glimpses from the ‘golden era’ films inform the narrative, punctuated by music director Pranil Desai’s stirring compositions.
STORY: Devi and Mohan are next-door neighbours. In the dead of the night when their families are fast asleep, the two teenagers celebrate their love for movies. Wrapped in a shawl, Devi tiptoes to the upper quarter of the house, just as Mohan reaches the terrace impersonating Raj Kapoor from Shree 420. Because girls were not allowed to enter cinema halls during those times, Mohan’s comical acts served as a window into the big screen for Devi. But she aspired to someday watch her favourite heroine Madhubala delineate a mesmerising character. Bound by restrictions, Devi managed household chores during the day, while at night she flipped through pages of film magazines that Mohan passed on through her window. Then came a marriage proposal for her from Bombay, a place Mohan describes as more progressive than their village. But will that change her fate? The screenings of a new blockbuster film at Rampur’s Ajanta Talkies may hold an answer to that.
REVIEW: Mostly wordless but intensely evocative, Piyush Thakur-directed The First Film is a gem of a short. The narrative investigates patriarchy and the social tendencies to invisibilise women and push them to the margins. Although placed in a bygone era, the narrative has a haunting parallel to present-day India, where women in rural areas are still not allowed to make choices for themselves. On a positive note, the story and screenplay (penned by Piyush and Deepak Lohana) brilliantly showcases the power of Hindi cinema in inspiring generations to blur gender boundaries and follow their hearts. The makers have cherry-picked nostalgic moments to weave a narrative that instantly takes you back to those days when even in the absence of the internet, popular movie songs nudged the young and old to hum the same tune. Certain scenes like the one in which a group of kids playfully run behind a film publicity rickshaw, are particularly impressive. Another interesting aspect is that the narrative doesn’t overindulge in any of its tenets – be it the silent-era style or the fandom of film legends. The central messaging maintains its strong voice throughout the film, perfected by an extraordinary background score, especially the tabla beats. Cut to the cast, Priyanka Beriya and Vasudev Nishad are at the heart of the short film! They are spot on in their non-verbal expressions and masterful portrayal of the inner feelings of Devi and Mohan. Their courage, friendship and love for cinema is palpable in every frame. Shot in black and white, cinematographer Sonu’s camerawork adds to the film’s provocative charm.
VERDICT: Apart from the two National Awards, The First Film has also been honoured at the Indian Film Festival of Stuttgart, the Indie Meme Film Festival in Texas and the Nepal Human Rights Film Festival. Cerebral, nuanced and delightful, the Piyush Thakur-helmed short film is a timely social commentary, voiced in an impressionistic style.
The First Film
Co-writer, director and editor: Piyush Thakur
Cast: Priyanka Beriya and Vasudev Nishad
Music: Pranil Desai
Cinematographer: Sonu
Rating: 3½ stars
