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★★★
Directed by: #DigantaDey
Starring: #DeepBasu and #AnamikaSingha
Short film review by: Brian Penn
Director Diganta Dey takes a highly original shot at storytelling in Monsoon Clips. It relates the final conversation between a mortally injured MIG 21 pilot Hussain (Deep Basu) and his wife Ila (Anamika Singha). The Indian Air Force has used MIG fighter jets since 1963; a once formidable machine has now caused the death of over 100 IAF pilots leading to the grim nickname of flying coffins.
The film begins with a harrowing news report of a MIG21 crashing and realisation the pilot is in a coma. A variety of images flash across the screen as Hussain and Ila communicate on a presumably sub-conscious level. Hovering between life and death, Hussain confides his deepest thoughts to Ila. We learn he is a poet with strong convictions on life, love, politics and religion. Coming from opposite sides of the religious divide the couple share a special bond. They resolve to meet in heaven where no such barriers would divide them.
The film is extraordinarily moving as we hear the couple expressing their love for each other; they aim to leave nothing unsaid as the end approaches. The title is virtually a story all by itself; a torrential downpour disturbing an idyllic existence and the forlorn hope it might soon pass. Visually the audience is presented with images of the life they once shared. The couple never appear on screen and are restricted to simple voice-overs. As a result, we are presented with a relationship interrupted by tragedy but an unshakeable determination to continue in the next life. Whilst the film undoubtedly works it’s undermined by some shaky subtitles and a confusing mix of English, Hindu and Urdu. This isn’t helpful to the overall continuity but the dramatic impact still shines through.
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