Short-film Review: Interior Café Night

There is an exchange in Interior Café Night, where Naseeruddin Shah’s character tears open a sugar sachet and spills it on the table. The sugar is a good metaphor for the entire film: sweet.

Large Short Films’ latest offering is a 12 minute long, single scene film shot in a modest Kolkata café, which is run by Naseeruddin Shah’s character. He is shown coming out of the café kitchen to stand behind the café counter when he spots a lady sitting at the table, with ‘Shaame gham ki kasam, aaj gham hi hai gham’ playing out in the background. The lady turns out to be none other than Shernaz Patel’s character, who he knows from long ago. It is time for the café to shut shop, and at that quiet time, the film focuses on a young couple sitting parallel to the protagonists. And there starts the story.

While the older couple talks about their times, the young couple are playing out their own piece. The criss-crossing between the stories is cleverly done, and by the end,comes together nicely. It leaves us thinking about the choices we make. Sometimes things are really out of our hands, but is that always the case? Are there second chances for when we really want to make things happen?

What can be said about Naseeruddin Shah’s or Shernaz Patel’s acting that has not been said before? These are such seasoned actors, that they don’t even have to try to be in characters, it seems to come naturally. Also, it helps that the characters are urban professionals, which are relatively easy to essay. But their real acting prowess is visible in each micro-expression, which is so delightfully visible, given the closeup shots. 

Ultimately Interior Café Night is a pleasant watch, which leaves you feeling warm about second chances in situations that might have seemed lost forever. Go watch it if you have a few minutes to spare.