Inanimate

The name of the film-Inanimate refers to a non-living object. The writer-director Suryadoy Gosh has built the narrative around a unique love story that surprises the audience. The abstract nature of the film and the combination of various languages like Hindi, English, and Bengali allows the filmmakers to attract a large number of viewers to the creative piece.

The plot of the short film revolves around a lonely man with no friends who finds solace in restoring old broken things. One fine day he stumbles upon a discarded female mannequin. After restoring the same he enjoys its company. She becomes his only place of peace and comfort in an unforgiving world.

In the opening sequence a focus light on the Mannequin followed by a close-up shot of the protagonist Ani (Rohan Khurana) who is seen standing in the confession box. The director Suryadoy Gosh and cinematographer Prachie Bedi do not shy away from highlighting the flaws of the male lead. The black and white colour palette along with the lighting, set design, background music, dialogues, make-up, and costumes increase the elements of drama and mystery in the movie. Bedi elegantly captures the mannequin's journey of self-discovery and the new world to which she is introduced courtesy of Ani. The major landmarks of Kolkata have been covered by the DOP to enhance the theme of the film further. The use of writing letters as a tool by the creative team to communicate the emotional outburst of the central character helps the storyline of the film move smoothly.

In terms of performance, Rohan Mehra plays Ani who is struggling to survive in the demanding world. Rohan Mehra showcases how strong Ani appears to be but he strongly needs someone to become the emotional support that he can hold on to for life. Mehra portrays the transformation from a lonely person to a friend to the little boy so effortlessly.

Sneha Gosh as a female mannequin is very charming and attractive. Gosh does not have any dialogues in the film but manages to pick up the body language of the doll which helps her leave a lasting impression with her acting skills on the audience.

Ankan Mullick plays the role of the kid in the film. This child artist provides the necessary light moments in the storyline to create a balance between thrill and drama. Mullick gives the reason to escape the problems of Ani's life for a short while. The bond between Ankan Mullick and Rohan Mehra is enjoyed by the viewers of the short film.

Inanimate raises an important question about How far one can go for the sake of love. It becomes important to express their feelings and not struggle with what society expects from people living in it. The film talks about thinking about the possible consequences before allowing oneself to be emotionally attached to something or somebody. The film teaches the viewers to be sensible and practical and not lose their own identity to chase love.