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BAHRAIN-based creative and filmmaker Shikha Varma’s fourth short film is set to premiere in theatres on Sunday, and explores the idea that ‘love is the only force that sustains us’.
The Indian expatriate penned the story almost a decade ago when she lived with her family in Rome, Italy. However, the project finally came to fruition this year.
The 24-minute Hindi language film with English subtitles, A letter from Milan, will be screened at Cineco Bahrain in Oasis Mall, Juffair for selected invitees, after which it will be available on YouTube for public viewing.
“I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to the Bahrain Cinema Company for providing me a platform to make it big,” the Awali resident for the last 18 years, told GulfWeekly.
“While stationed in Italy in 2015, I attended a couple of youth art festivals and that’s where the concept took root. I created a few short films along the way, but this particular story continued to linger, perhaps waiting for the perfect moment, location, and the ideal people to bring the characters I envisioned to life,” she added.
A story teller well versed with various art forms, from photography to poetry, Shikha’s tales always have an underlying message.
“A letter from Milan explores the idea that love is the only force that sustains us because it is stored in the heart. The mind can forget love but it always remains in heart,” she said.
For Shikha, film-making is an extension of photography. “My passion grew from my love of viewing life through a lens,” the shutterbug and mother of two explained.
The film revolves around lead character Anjali, portrayed by Bahrain-based painter and dancer Pia Banerjee, who has an encounter with her past through a letter she receives after a postal delay. What unfolds next is beyond her imagination.
Local creative talent Anindita Bhoumik, yoga instructor Neelanjana Bharadwaj, writer and poet Nivedita Roy and architect, artist and poet Sudeep Deshpande also star in the production. Renowned Bahraini kathak (Indian classical dance form) dancer Khalil Alashar makes an appearance too.
Shikha has scripted, directed and produced the film, while her younger daughter Veda Varma, who previously attended British School of Bahrain and is currently studying Business Economics at Amsterdam University, handled the editing.
Majority of the filming was shot in March and April last year at various locations in Bahrain, including a public park and some of the cast’s homes.
“We shot the film when the pink bougainvillea was in full bloom in my garden. The lamp posts and vibrant benches at Neelanjana’s garden in Saar, along with the stylish décor of Pia’s home, add a positive, uplifting vibe to the film. The opening scene was filmed at Andalus Garden,” Shikha, whose elder daughter Reet is a lawyer residing in Amsterdam, revealed.
“In addition to the dialogues, the script includes my poetic expressions which flow seamlessly through the storyline, creating a cohesive and interconnected narrative. My voice and I have a small appearance in the film.”
The film’s structure alternates between the present and the past, with snapshots playing a crucial role.
“Both my love for photography and film-making worked together seamlessly in this project,” the wanderlust and freelance travel writer said.
Shikha, who lives with her husband Sumit, has bigger dreams to produce a full-fledged feature film in the near future. In the past, her work has been screened at various local and international film festivals.
Some of her previous works include The Ring, Udaan and Keep in Touch.
For more details, follow @shiks_cliks on Instagram.
