Photo Feature: Are 90 min short format films making a comeback?

Bollywood is not just well known for its song and dance but also the length of its films. One of the main reasons for intermissions in Bollywood films is because the cliff hangers and climax are before the intermission and the resolution is after.

Most films made today are nothing less than two and a half hours long. When movies started in India, they weren’t as long, they maintained Hollywood standards of 90- 100 minute long films with good story lines and crisp editing. Over the last year it seems that there has been a change with some movies going back to the Hollywood format. Directors are moving back to shorter film run times and more compact scripts. Here are a few film we are looking forward to and some that made news last year.

a) Hope Aur Hum: Hope aur hum stars Naseeruddin Shah and Sonali Kulkarni, this feel good family film is directed by Sudip Bandyopadhyay, an ace ad film maker who is making his directorial debut in Bollywood. The filmmaker has used his ad film learnings and has created a 90 minute film that tells a story of three generations learning to deal with change in their own way. The film releases on 11th May and it is a complete family film for ages 8-88.

b)102 Not Out: This Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor starrer 102 Not out is a family comedy that looks at the relationship of Amitabh Bachchan, who plays a fun loving jovial father who wants to break the record of the oldest living man, and his son who is exactly the opposite in character. The film directed by Umesh Shukla released on 4th May 2018 and is an hour and is 107 minutes long

c) Omerta: This Hansal Mehta directed Rajkumar starrer is about the terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. The film follows the life of the terrorist and all that he has done, it uses news videos and footage. This film has been in the making for over 12 years now. While there is a lot of detail involved in the film, the run time is still 96 minutes long. We cannot wait to see how Hansal Mehta tells the story of one of the most dangerous men in 1 hour 36 minutes. It releases on 4th May 2018.

d) Meri Nimmo: Rahul Shankalya’s Meri Nimmo stars Newton Actress Anjali Patil in the lead role. The film revolves around Nimmo (Anjali) and her little companion, Hemu who is a young school boy. They have an uncanny friendship and the film traces hemu’s crush on Nimmo, Nimmos journey to get married and all the plans Hemu makes to break Nimmo’s wedding. A sweet film about innocence and dreams is one of the first films to have not had a theatrical release and directly introduced to on a web platform. The film is 90 minutes long and is screening on Eros Now.

e) Haraamkhor: Director Shlok Sharma’s Haraamkhor is well known not just for its story or the fact that two amazing actors, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shweta Tripathi star in the film. It is also known for its short run time or around 110 minutes. Another interesting aspect of this film is that it was shot in over 15 days in a village near Gujarat. The story follows a teacher student relationship and the effects of the same

f) Gurgaon: Shanker Raman’s Gurgaon was one of the most underrated films last year. It stars Pankaj Tripathi, Ragini Khanna and Akshay Oberoi. The film revolves around the kidnapping of a real estate tycoons daughter and the events that follow. In a matter of 107 minutes, director Shanker managed to make a gripping crime gangster drama. Gurgaon released in August last year.

g) Newton: The National award winning, Newton is a film everyone needs to watch. Not only for Amit Masurkar’s fantastic direction but Rajkumar Rao’s and Pankaj Tripathi’s brilliant acting. Also for which Pankaj Tripathi won the special mention award at the National Awards. The film talks about the flaws in the electoral voting system in the country and the Naxalite problem in the east. The film has a run time of 106 minutes and in that time manages to create an entire story with a hilarious and crucial climax.

h)Trapped: Rajkumar Rao’s best performance till date. Trapped is directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and is about a man getting trapped in an empty building and his efforts to escape. The film received glorious reviews and won many titles not just for acting but music and direction too. This 105 minutefilm, proves that a film doesn’t need to be long to be gripping.

i)Ribbon: Sumeet Vyas and Kalki Koechlin starrer Ribbon is a film audiences all over associate with. It is a story of challenges new parents face. The film is directed by Rakhee Sandilya and is 109 minutes long. Sumeet and Kalki’s chemistry on screen is notable. The film released in November 2017.