Experiencing Interruptions?

End Of 14 Days

During the pandemic, Bhola and Abbas, two young labourers, returning from India to their village in Bangladesh after cycling 1500 Kms, are forced to quarantine themselves in jungle at the outskirts of their village. Their fellow traveller, an old man, another labourer, has been hospitalized in critical condition after several-day-long arduous cycling. On the very last day of their quarantine, the two friends, worried about their only ally who understood them, hope for ever-lasting isolation.

  • Sudipta Kundu
    Director
  • Sudipta Kundu
    Writer
  • Masroor Mawla
    Producer
  • Kaushik Paul
    Key Cast
    "Abbas"
  • Murshed Akanda
    Key Cast
    "Bhola"
  • Neeraj Churi
    Executive Producer
  • Rahul Roye
    Executive Producer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    drama, lgbtqia+
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 46 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 5, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    3,600 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Bangladesh
  • Country of Filming:
    Bangladesh, India
  • Language:
    Bengali
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Sudipta Kundu

An independent Indian filmmaker, Sudipta Kundu (artistic name: Sudipto Kundu) has directed, produced, and co-produced a couple of documentaries and short-fictions. The documentary film Ladli, produced and directed by Sudipta, got the best short documentary film award at the Kasish International Queer Film Festival, the best documentary film award at the Diorama International Film Festival, the QDrishti film grant at Kasish, the Indian National Award for best film on social issues, and number of other nominations and awards. Ladli was selected for the Docedge Kolkata pitching lab in 2016. His short documentary films Coffee With Positivity and Tales of Another Radha selected for various film festivals. Charet; An Unfinished Story got the Fur Lotus Award from the Dalai Lama Foundation in the PSBT Film Challenge. His first short fiction, "End of Fourteen Days," is ready for festival submission. "A Sacred Life" is his first feature film as a director and is in the development stage, which was part of a lab mentored by Italian film educator, Locarno festival programmer Giovanni Robiano. His current documentary project, Tales of Gopis has been selected for Docedge Kolkata pitching lab in 2024.

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Director Statement

While the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionally impacted economically marginalized and sexual minorities in populous south Asian countries, we tend overlook a few anecdotes about how those ugly days have proved to be sheer bliss for a few.

During the pandemic, the lockdown initiated in several major Indian cities saw exodus of millions of migrant workers heading back to their villages in India and Bangladesh against the advice of the local governments. Many walked or cycled for hundreds of kilometres without adequate food, water or sheltering facilities resulting in several casualties. The illegal status of some of the Bangladeshi labourers added to their woes. Those reaching Bangladesh were often forced to quarantine in isolated areas outskirts of their village to protect their families. Despite the hardships, there were stories of resilience and triumph that did emerged.

At the onset of the pandemic, Abbas and Bhola, two Bangladeshi day labourers, working in Delhi, are forced to take a journey back home by cycling around 1500 Km. Once in Bangladesh, they are forced to quarantine in the forests on the outskirts of their village due to the small sizes for the houses. The unusual situation becomes a desirable one for the two.

Whilst the pandemic separated people from each other, “social distancing” set a tone of isolation, these two guys were gifted with a free, liberating space amid the woods to express themselves as their truest selves, out of constricts and confines. Being aware that their social circumstances would never accept them, for the two men, the end of quarantine, imposes a strange quandary to deal with.

This project was a part of a Script LAB mentored by Giovanni Robiano. It has been made to showcase my ability to handle a fiction project as I didn't have much experience with fiction films. Being an independent documentary filmmaker, it is my debut as a fiction directorial.

As the film delves into the different facets of isolation, we use several wide and aerial shots to portray their detachment from society. To establish the existence and effectiveness of the third character in this film, we use elements like a bicycle and an unopened duffel bag instead of his actual appearance in our film: non-diegetic dialogue with prolonged visuals. Most of the shots in this film are wide and dimly lit as if indicating a distant view of these two or a longing for isolation. In the film, close-up shots are only used to portray the characters' intricate emotions. The use of symbolic and metaphoric shots in the film caters to represent society’s conventional and stereotypical algorithms, the characters' psychological weave and their revolt against the societal templates.
The film concludes at dawn after a darksome night, insinuating a sense of hope for the prohibited lovers, Bhola and Abbas to be together, breaking free from a world of confines.