“Migration, not just limited to, but still a major issue in Punjab. When the lack of opportunities forces youth to migrate, their absence speeds up the decline in whatever opportunities are left. This film follows the protagonist, who knows he doesn't belong here but still has accepted it, during his relationship with a tape recorder. How the idea of a listener can be more important than who's listening. And what exactly can be the future of a place or an individual that can see their decay and accept it?” (Official)
“Even Fake Flowers Have Scent on Happy Days” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
The subject of ‘philosophical pessimism' is one that is not often explored in cinema; sentiments such as being born flawed and the default state of humanity being negative, selfish and harmful seldom translate into an engaging narrative. “Even Fake Flowers” expresses the thoughts of one such individual whose feelings of isolation and loneliness due to external factors have given him an all consuming negative view on humanity. Arguably, this stance is grounded in the protagonist's reality and feels rational. However, dwelling on such philosophies comes with its pitfalls, of which the production also succumbs too.
It is hard to deny that the dialogue can come across as pretentious, sentiments born from spiteful youth that believe in their own profundity through self-reflection. As a result, certain reflections, such as the the inherit fallacy of conveying personal meaning through language, come across as entry level philosophy. Thankfully, the entire script does not feel as base, with moments of more insightful reflection that show maturity alongside youthful angst. This does give the impression that as Sharma evolves as a director, he will be capable of tackling difficult and reflective subject matters. Unfortunately, the project comes across as an attempt to let the audience know how the creator feels instead of presenting a scenario to provoke the audience to come to the message through empathy. To the credit of the production, it is not all doom and gloom as the conclusion gives a glimmer of hope to the audience, but the bulk of the film certainly rests in pessimism.
Aesthetically, the production has a serene flow to it with atmospheric noise playing as a nice backdrop to the man's plight. The cinematography is creative, despite the smaller and cramped sets. To great credit to the production, cinematographer Vaibhav Yadav creates a larger sense of space with picturesque panning shots and intimate framing in moments of deep contemplation. Ultimately, the flow is wonderfully executed for a budgeted short film, with the editing work of Aniruddh Ramjiwal tying everything together for a strong overall presence.
Actor Akash Arora embraces the dialogue in a way that makes the sentiments spoken seem like his own words. Vocally, he conveys the introspective dialogue into the tape recorder with a familiar tone to those caught up in deep reflection. Unable to explore a broad range of emotions and keeping one note/tone, Arora's performance is admirable none the less.
“Even Fake Flowers Have Scent on Happy Days” comes across as overly indulgent, but contains enough charm to be excited for the future of director Shubham Sharma.
