Baggage

A short drama written and directed by Titus Upputuru and starring himself along with Raoul Amaar Abbas and Prashant Sugandha.

The setting is a fancy restaurant and a young waiter (Sugandha) notices a man (Upputuru) sitting by himself at a table and looking upset. He asks his colleague (Abbas) if he knows what is going on. His colleague explains that years ago that man found himself standed on an island with his five-year-old son. One day, his child went missing and he could not find him. Eventually, he was rescued and returned home without his boy. A terrible realisation involving his time on the island caused him to come to that same restaurant every year, order a seagull sandwich and cry uncontrollably.

A very dramatic and sad story about the aftermath of a devastating tragedy. Although the plot is distressing and unsettling, it certainly catches the viewer's attention and makes them understand why the man in the restaurant is so miserable. And the misery that he feels is expressed very vividly thanks to Upputuru's performance, which will be analysed later. Adding to the dramatic atmosphere is Hanif Shaikh's melancholic and beautiful music that includes poignant piano melodies and the gloomy cinematography by Abbas and Bhumanyu Nehra.

It should be mentioned that the plot of this film evolves around an unspeakable occurrence involving a child and some viewers might find that quite upsetting.

Upputuru's perfomance is essential in order for this short to be dramatic and he nails it. The story begins with him at the restaurant, feeling depressed and then the atmosphere changes, with him behaving awkwardly, revealing that he is developing mental disorders and Upputuru is very convincing as he, in some ways, portrays two different characters, one being a man who is torn apart by the loss of his child (and not just that) and the other a man who appears to have lost touch with reality. And Abbas and Sugandha play their part well in their supporting roles.

Although this film has a duration of less than three minutes, it deals with very heavy themes. Initially, the story deals primarily with loss, the loss of an offspring and the effects that has on a person such as grief and sadness. These feelings are explored through Upputuru's character and so are feelings of guilt and trauma. As the story progresses and reveals another side of the protagonist's tormented mind, other subjects are brought to light that involve mental health, particularly disconnection from reality and finding joy in one's imagination.

A sad story about a sad man. This short is a commentary about loss and mental health and it is strongly supported by Upputuru's performance and the remarkable score.