Starring: Shishir Sharma, Suman Nagarkar, Raaghav Ranganathan, Lalit Prabhakar, Aahana Krishna, Sai Pogaru, Parna Pethe, Aparna Pradeep, Saran Jith, Aishwarya Kumar
Cinematography and Editing: Mathew Jenif Joseph
Music: Vineeth Paul
Writer/Director: Shilpa Krishnan Shukla
DOTS is the one of the first feature films to be entirely made remotely in the lockdown. Whilst there have been other attempts to make content during the lockdown (largely in the form of short films), DOTS is brave in that it doesn’t rely on exploiting innovative camera angles, or gimmicks – this 93 minute film focuses only on the faces of it’s 10 participants.
DOTS is a social network, which allows users to find a match based on criteria they have inputted – with the only catch being they can only connect with each match once, with each pair only having A 2 hour period to form a connection. Karuna (Aahana Krishna) and Aditya (Sai Pogaru) use the platform to have a first date, complete with flowers and red wine. Charuvikraman (Saran Jith) is looking for a bride, whilst Rohini (Aparna Pradeep) has a long list of criteria for her match. Yamuna (Suman Nagarkar) and Roy (Shishir Sharma) are in the twilight years of their lives, and connect on their network to share their life experiences. Saira (Parna Pethe) uses the platform to get advice and support from Vaibhav (Raaghav Ranganathan), and Shakti (Lalit Prabhakar) unexpectedly reconnects with his old college mate Nivedita (Aishwarya Kumar).
Through this concept of the social network, the director Shilpa Krishnan Shukla tackles the subjects of loss, loneliness, unfulfilled love, heartbreak and LGBTQ issues – all this through simple conversations. Shukla scores brownie points for not making any of the conversations melodramatic – they are simple conversations, each highlighting issues, without getting preachy. The script is constantly engaging, and the background music is used sparingly, yet effectively throughout the film.
The start of the film feels a little clunky – but that is by design – after all, there is some hesitation when you start speaking to a complete stranger. The film soon settles into it’s groove, and you begin to feel that these are people that you have known for a long time. Credit for that goes to the entire cast, made up of accomplished actors such as Shishir Sharma, and Lalit Prabhakar, alongside relative newcomers Aparna Pradeep and Aishwarya Kumar. It is unfair to single out any members of the cast – they are all extremely effective in their roles, but Suman Nagarkar, Raaghav Ranganathan, and Lalit Prabhakar deserve a special mention for bringing heartbreaking nuances to their performances.
DOTS is one of the most minimalist films I have seen – yet remains extremely effective on the basis of it’s script and performances. Are you listening Bollywood?
DOTS was viewed as part of the exclusive world premiere – the date for general release is to be advised. Thanks to Amandeep Dhillon from UKAFF for the opportunity to be part of the premiere.
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