A powerful suspense drama 13 mins Hindi short film Devi directed by Priyanka Banerjee, endorses the concept of femininity. ‘Devi’ is a Sanskrit word that means ‘Goddess’. The short film “Devi” unites some women who are coming from different backgrounds but a victim of the same kinds of situations like sexual assault, rape, domestic violence, and so on.
This short film is confined in a room but the use of camera and script didn’t let the audience feel monotonous. With the help of close shots, the expression of the characters has become so vividly exposed that the movie reached another dimension. There is a clean play with time, the continuous cut gives an engaging effect to the audience during the conversation of the characters. There are characters like urban alcoholic ( Shruti Hasan), English speaking city dweller (Neha Dhupia), Urban clad lady, a mute girl, there is a medical practitioner girl, housewives, primitive ladies and more. But among them, Kajol is a very calm and silent yet fierce figure who is the pivot of family. The character is god worshipping and it produces a motherly figure and women omnipotence. The scene fades in with a girl slapping on the television to start it. Then by wide shot, the camera covers the different activities of others present in the room. Then with some shots, we get a glimpse of other activities to get some ideas about the other characters. We come to know about the characters when a debate starts on coming to a new member of the family. Everyone disagrees stating their problem to adjust. As the situation escalates, a quarrel starts between Marathi the old lady, and Neha Dhupia. Ultimately Kajol as the avatar of the goddess convinced them to let the new member referring their helpless situation when they came into the house. Kajol is doing a task like glue to take the victims in the same room. Ultimately when the new member comes in, it breaks the heart of everyone, even the audiences. It was a little girl of maybe 5 or 6 years. The camera takes a shot from the back of the girl revealing half of the girl’s body. The little girl goes and hugs the old Marathi lady. At this moment another news of the rape of a little girl on the television takes every characters’ attention, they look at the television with tearing eyes. The scene fades out.
In this egalitarian world and an era of women empowerment, the safety of women’s physical and mental dignity remains a paradox. The movie doesn’t reveal the face of the little girl probably not to specify one girl because in every minute a girl like her is being victimized. So the little girl is the representation of each girl in the country. We can see the evil representation of the society where irrespective of age, class, status, women are being victimized. This is a film, portraying how the women are fighting to survive to bear the brutal stab of the society. The film also gives a message of positivism that if one door closes the other opens. God saves the best for everyone. Here in the film, Kajol plays a character of the avatar of goodness who rescues everyone’s life.
I think everyone should watch this movie to have an idea of how social vultures are continuously chasing to win over. Moreover, it also learns problems can’t be bigger than one’s life. If a little adjustment can save one’s life then it’s far more peaceful than mundane some comforts. It will leave everyone thinking if not me then who?
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