‘The Pact’, a short film by Apurva Asrani Films exploring a complex father–son relationship, had its first public screening at the recent Goa Arts and Literature Festival. Asrani shares how the project came together
CHRISTINE MACHADO | NT BUZZ
With the aim of creating content that mainstream cinema often overlooks, filmmaker Apurva Asrani recently launched his production house, Apurva Asrani Films.
“We wanted to find the middle of the road and focus on things that families would like to talk about,” he says. And he has done just that with his debut project under the banner, ‘The Pact’. Written, produced and edited by Asrani and directed by Lakshmi R. Iyer, the 25-minute short explores grief, memory, and the unspoken bond between a father and son.
In the film, the protagonist Raghav, played by Parambrata Chattopadhyay, returns to his childhood home to finalise the sale of the now-vacant flat. During one last walk through the space, he begins to reminisce about his growing-up years, especially the difficult relationship he shared with his father and a pact they made one day.
One striking moment shows Raghav reciting the pact aloud while facing the camera. Asrani explains the thought process behind filming it in this manner, “For the first time, he truly understands his father instead of seeing him through the lens he had all his life. He is transformed and when he later speaks to his ex-wife (Renuka Shahane), she knows he will be a better father.”
The story was inspired by Asrani’s relationship with his late father, who passed away in 2023. “Much of it is fiction but the emotion is real,” he says. And given the personal nature of the story, he admits he was initially cautious about what he communicated about his father. “But as I wrote it, it felt like a catharsis. I actually wept when I finished the second draft. It felt like a conversation I was still able to have with my dad.”
The film also addresses how men process grief. When Raghav breaks down, his ex-wife tells him he has never been stronger. “I think ‘real men don’t cry’ has become something a lot of young people take pride in. There is this facade of bravado, masculinity and strength. In reality, men make up a much higher percentage of suicides in our country because they bottle things up. They don’t allow themselves an outlet. What I wanted to show is that real strength lies in being vulnerable,” says Asrani.
He adds that his mother, whom he calls his biggest cheerleader, is extremely proud of the film. Although she is not cinema literate, he states, she often points out things during his edits, including this one, that make him pause and view the work from a new perspective. “She keeps saying she wishes dad had seen this film. She is constantly sharing it with people on social media and sending me their reactions,” he says, adding that the film has been released on YouTube to reach a wider audience.
Asrani is now working on a new series he has written. He says, “It’s a very exciting project and quite different from my earlier work.”
