I recently stumbled upon a short film titled Ravan [2016], written and directed by Arati Kadav.
Most of us were introduced to Kadav’s work this year because of her genius (and precious) film Cargo starring Vikrant Massey and Shweta Tripathi.
Poster of Cargo [2020] Having interviewed Kadav about Cargo and learning about her thought process of merging mythology with science-fiction, I was moved to give this four-minute twenty-eight-seconds film a watch… and I’m glad I did!
Ravan is about the last surviving descendent of mythological demon Ravan, Inderjit (played by Vasan Bala) who lives on Earth and works in low-budget commercials.
He may seem arrogant at first, but soon we realize that Inderjit is just like us; He too suffers from all sorts of first-world millennial problems, i.e. he refuses to give in to societal pressures of getting married, loves attention, enjoys taking selfies, and smokes when stressed.
When he’s not shooting, he wears a cervical collar to balance or bear the weight of his ten heads.
Scene from Ravan (2016)Kadav certainly loves creating a universe with mythological characters and letting her imagination flow with the possibilities of “what-ifs”.
The short mockumentary packs a whole lot in under five minutes – from political undertones to intrusive media, propaganda and even self-awareness.
You may notice similarities between Ravan and Cargo, and the refreshing style of storytelling that allows you to dive into and accept an unknown world.
You can watch Ravan here:
Cast: Vasan Bala
Writer & Director: Arati Kadav
Co-Director: Zain Matcheswalla
Animation & CGI: Zenish Mehta
Cinematography: Javed Mohammad
Watch the exclusive interview with Filmmaker Arati Kadav here:
