Sound has a big part to play in the unique silent short film “The Silent Warble” by Debanjan Majhi.
In the World Heritage city of Ahmedabad, India, a blind man sits in the famous Irani Restaurant sipping a cup of tea with the famous butter bun, when he meets a young boy, who becomes the old man's eyes as he takes him round the Old City area of Ahmedabad. The old man, as it turns out, is a foley artist who wants to record various day-to-day sounds, noises and conversations. Walking within the narrow lanes of the Old City area, crossing bridges and hitching rides, the blind man and the little boy go about record what they can on the old man's unique recording devices. His motives for putting these sounds on tape, however, are not purely professional.
Majhi's project begins with a disclaimer that it is best enjoyed if heard through the best headphones or earphones possible, which might seem like an odd ask to some, but once it starts, the reason for such a disclaimer becomes quite apparent. The film wants to put us square in the hustle and bustle, and within the tremendous cacophony of everyday sounds that we otherwise seem to tune out involuntarily and miss out on. All the conversations, the sounds of traffic, people going about their day-to-day activities, television sounds, etc are something that we hear nearly everywhere we go but ignore even if we hear it; however, that is not possible in “The Silent Warble”, which makes the sounds almost overwhelming at times. This also succeeds in putting the viewer in the shoes of the blind protagonist, for whom sound is one of the most used senses which he cannot possibly tune out or mute.
Hidden within these sounds are some additional ones that bring peace, that soothe the soul like no other and have the magical capabilities of taking the conscience out of the racket of daily life and into every individual's own unique secluded paradise. The film urges the audience to find their own sound and let it lead them to their own little slice of heaven for as little time a day as it can.
The performances in the film don't demand a lot from the two actors, but that's besides the point, as the real star here clearly is the sound, which has been designed to fantastic effect using ASMR technology, the use of which is completely justified in the final project. Another particular mention goes to the cinematography by Rishiraj Agarwal, which does well to show off the less displayed parts of Ahmedabad.
“The Silent Warble” is a unique project executed successfully that might just make the audience want to be more aware of the lesser sounds around them. Go on, listen for it and find the sound that is uniquely yours and find your own little paradise. Sometimes that is all one needs to disconnect from this world, for however little time one can and rejuvenate oneself.
