Wheels

The title of the short film-Wheels symbolises the day-to-day routine of people and the struggles they go through to give themselves reasons to live despite all the issues a similar situation the female protagonist Dia (Aritraa Sengupta) is handling and she manages to build an emotional connection of the audience with the content instantly.

The plot of the movie revolves around Dia an Indian classical dancer who has met with an accident that has confined her to a wheelchair. She returns home from the hospital hoping to find some traces of her foregone life. However, fate has something else in store.

The film opens with a long shot of silent streets with just a few cars moving by. The makers have brilliantly incorporated this scene into the screenplay to depict the changed scenario in Dia’s life and also the creative wants the audience to be involved with the movie from the very beginning. The location chosen is Kolkata to bring out the slightly raw nature of the script allowing the local audience to feel the elements of realism and relatability with the treatment of Wheels. The set design, black white colour palette with a hint of colour during the song, a combination of dim lighting and natural lighting, dialogues, costume, hair, makeup, and props assist in establishing as well as uplifting the subject matter and communicating the key messages to the audience effectively.

In terms of performance, Aritraa Sengupta plays Dia a classical dancer who is trying to revive herself from a major accident. Sengupta with her acting skills portrays the range of emotions the young woman experiences when she is wheelchair - bound and stuck in her own body super dependent on her loved ones. The Bengali actress understands the nuances of the character managing to inspire the audience to learn from her at every juncture in the script.

Wheels talks about the importance of one’s identity in life and losing the same can be detrimental to the physical as well as mental health of any person and also their loved ones. The short film reiterates that everyone is differently capable to deal with any kind of loss in life and so they should be respected and given the desired privacy to deal with the same and not judged for it. The dramatic film restates that there can be a small circle of people around someone who cares about them so it is best to be self-reliant when it comes to providing positivity and motivation in life. The cinematic piece also tells its audience about how children, games, and pets can help heal the internal as well as the external wounds a particular accident can leave behind. The creative piece also highlights the need of accepting reality and dealing with the present scenario as there is no point in living in the past and also pushing those away who are trying to help one survive through the hardships.

To conclude, I will like to say that the length should have been shorter so that the female protagonist could have managed to bind us emotionally up until the end. I also felt that absence of subtitles can also affect the popularity of Wheels among a wider set of audience. The editing skills can also be improved for a better quality of the end product.