As we gear up for the Oscar Shortlist announcement next week, the anticipation and enthusiasm has reached new heights. There have been various short films featuring known Hollywood actors previously, but this year we have the eminent and gorgeous actress Vidya Balan who features in Natkhat. It won the 2020 edition of Best of India Short Film Festival & was subsequently made eligible for Oscar qualification by ShortsTV. However, Vidya is competing with a few strong submissions in the Live Action Short Film category that feature top Hollywood actors such as Tilda Swinton in The Human Voice, Oscar Isaac in The Letter Room, Julianne Moore and Don Cheadle in Intersection, to name a few.
Vidya Balan, actor and producer of the film, commented, “It is amazing to see the range and quality of short films now coming out of India, and with our audiences now embracing this form of storytelling, it gave us the confidence to take this leap. We are grateful to ShortsTV and thrilled to be in the company of incredible actors like Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore. The Academy Awards is a celebration of talent from all over the world, and our entire team is so excited to be part of it. With the sort of talent now on display, I believe it is only a matter of time before India brings home an Oscar in the Live Action Short Films category”.
Natkhat, a 33-minute short, underlines the fact that home is where we learn the values which shape us and make us who we are. A story framed within a story where a mother notices her little school-going son Sonu (Sanika Patel) gravitating towards misogyny and disregard for the other gender just like the men in her family. Vidya Balan, who turned producer with this film, is seen playing the role of a homemaker in a patriarchal setup. The film touches upon the sweet mother-son relationship, which quivers with each blow, and settles with a soothing touch.