A blog on subtext of the short film “Kriti” (2016) directed by Shirish Kunder
In this short film “Kriti” which means “Creation”, it is trying to show the relationship between “Dream” and “Creativity”. Here, the characters’ name are “Sapan” which means “Dream”, “Kriti” (The girl whom Sapan “Dream” loves) which means “Creation”, “Srijan” (The Cop) which also means “Creation” and “Kalpana” (who is hypothetical friend of “Sapan”) which means “Imagination”. Using all these names for the characters, writer and director Shirish Kunder has well played in conveying the subtext that, how “Dream” can kill a “Creation” but “Creation” cannot kill a “Dream”. The subtext what I understand from the film is that, a Dream using its hypothesis and imagination can kill it’s creation whereas, for Creativity it cannot because it is made up of a Dream. For a Dream, there might be lots of Creation which may be easy to kill but, for a Creativity or a Creation a Dream plays a vital role in its existence.
In this film, there is a strong masculine character called “Sapan” (Dream) who is meeting his childhood hypothetical friend called “Kalpana” (Imagination) after a month. He talks about his new girlfriend called “Kriti” (Creation) with her, and tells her how they both are writers and have fallen for each other. The reason why “Sapan” (Dream) has come to meet “Kalpana” after one month is also because of “Kriti” (Creation), since, he had no headroom for “Imagination” because “Kriti” (Creation) existed. “Kriti” (Creation) is Agoraphobic so she does not want to come out in public, she has a fear of getting out in open spaces, which is understandable since creativity usually comes out when a person is alone. But imagination can come out anywhere. Then, “Kalpana” (Imagination) relates “Kriti” (Creation) to “Sapan” (Dream) exactly as “Rachana” his former Girlfriend and which also means “Creation” and says she does not exist and this is just “Sapan’s” illusion of mind and should get rid of her. “Kalpana” tells him to show “Kriti” if she is real. So, when he gets home and tries to show “Kalpana” who “Kriti” is he ends up killing “Kriti”. “Kriti” could defend herself and killed “Dream”, but, she is so pure that she cannot kill Sapan “Dream” where its results as Sapan “Dream” kills the creation “Kriti”. Then here comes, a Cop whose name is Srijan which also means “Creation” through whom Sapan finds out that “Kriti” was real and he has murdered her. While defending himself, Sapan wants to introduce his childhood friend Kalpana “Imagination” to the Cop (Srijan) but fails to do so. And then, Kalpana (imagination) appears in Sapan’s mind, which orders him to kill the cop too, who is also a creation.
The director also has worked well with all the forms to express his vision in the story. The sound is very intense to show the intensity of the characters. The editing is also helping to maintain the mood of the story. The camera has been utilised very cleverly to show the depth of all the characters, especially when Sapan goes home, there is a long one take shot to give the exact thrill of how a murder happens in this story. The camera work is also exceptional while showing the Imagination “Kalpana” which stays quietly and in a calm manner inside “Sapan’s” mind. The mise — en — scene of the film has done a great work by showing what kind of a character is Sapan “Dream”. The abstract pictures, the dummies of girls and paintings of a crying girl is showing how “Dream” Sapan is killing the creations in the past. The dialogues are well prepared to make the audience realise what is going on in the story. The essence of the story is quiet deep so all the forms of the film has helped well to tell the story of how “A dream listens to the imaginations to kill a creation or a reality”. It’s says an imagination cannot be real but a creativity or a creation can be real.
At least, I would like to end the blog with Aristotle’s clear outline on essential ingredients in dramatic performances and his idea remain powerfully resonant in today’s international acting traditions, he stated,
So all the arts … produced their imitations by means of rhythm, speech and melody, using them separately or together … Since those who make imitations represent men in action, these men should be superior or inferior, either better than those we know in life or worse, or of the same kind … that is why their works are called dramas, because they represent men doing. (pp 3–6)
Ref: (c. 335 BCE/1958)
Ref: “Page 4.” Encyclopedia of Creativity., by Mark A. Runco and Steven R. Pritzker, Academic Press, 1999.