Produced by Sharat Katariya of Dum Laga Ke Haisha fame, Shame is the latest short film to come out of Large Short Films. The short film features some prominent names, including Swara Bhasker, Sayani Gupta and Ranvir Shorey, but what it does in casting isn’t matched up in its writing.
The plot of Shame revolves around a “dutiful” housekeeper Fanny whose adventures inside a hotel room lead to her getting fired from the job. She blames the guest Sumer Seth, played by Ranvir Shorey, and decides to take revenge in quite a sadistic way.
In a country like ours, the hospitality industry functions heavily on the inevitable class divide and this is evident as Bhasker’s Fanny peeks into guest rooms.Here, director Anusha Bose decides to play on this class divide and soon takes the moral high ground where everyone who has money is portrayed evil, be it the guest of the hotel or her boss. It doesn’t matter even if they are pointing out something which is a grave violation for a guest, it all boils down to the cleaning lady’s revenge and how far she would go to destroy the man’s life who took away her job. Why? Because she belongs to the working class.
Fanny’s pride and arrogance towards the end of the story does not allow you to root for her because her revenge just doesn’t look justified. She is shown as the hero but lacks the necessary heroism.
Swara Bhasker is a wonderful actor and here too, she puts in a good performance. Same goes for Ranvir Shorey as well. Cyrus Sahukar’s ill-timed jokes don’t sit well but more than the actor, the writing is to be blamed for the same.
Shame lacks impact. In the end, you are left with no one to root for and no one to support. In fact, there are places where you are rooting for anyone who is not Fanny.It’s a shame that this short film does not utilise the great cast.
