Private Project

Harmless

A boy down on his luck.
A girl looking for thrills.

A plot is hatched. A kidnapping is staged.

As far as crimes go, this one seems harmless.

But, as with all things, there is a price to pay. A hefty price.

“Harmless” begins as a crime-thriller and develops into a dramatic adventure with a little bit of romance thrown in. It can be seen as a mix between “Bonnie and Clyde” and “It Happened One Night”. Made on a tight budget and without financial backing, “Harmless” is a polished, fast-paced thrill-ride from start to finish.

  • Vishesh Mankal
    Director
    Not Born Heroes
  • Vishesh Mankal
    Writer
    Not Born Heroes
  • Vishesh Mankal
    Producer
  • Vaishnavi Rao
    Key Cast
    "Monalisa Goswami"
    Pranali: The Tradition
  • Aniruddha Khanwilkar
    Key Cast
    "Adhir"
    Patliputra Express
  • Swapnil Ajgaonkar
    Key Cast
    "Parashar"
    The Reunions
  • Satyendra Chauhan
    Key Cast
    "Goswami"
  • Sachin Singh Khushawa
    Key Cast
    "Chetan"
  • Yotishma Tiwari
    Key Cast
    "Constable"
  • Abhijit Chitre
    Chief Assistant Director
  • Samyak Tejawat
    Assistant Directors
  • Deep Vyas
    Assistant Directors
  • Yotishma Tiwari
    Assistant Directors
  • D. Vivek
    Assistant Directors
  • Bharat Menaria
    Music
  • Hitarth Bhatt
    Music
  • Vishesh Mankal
    Director of Photography
  • Vishesh Mankal
    Editor
    Not Born Heroes
  • Prakash Solanki
    Make-up
  • Ravi Gunjwar
    Make-up
  • Sneha
    Hair Stylist
  • Snehal Nakte
    Hair Stylist
  • Aman
    Production Managers
  • Akshit Mishra
    Production Managers
  • Pritesh Banerjee
    Production Managers
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Romance, Crime
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 21 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 25, 2018
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    English, Hindi
  • Shooting Format:
    4k UHD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • New Delhi Film Festival - NDFF 2018
    New Delhi
    India
    September 22, 2018
    Official Selection
  • The Bioscope Global Film Festival 2018
    Amritsar
    India
    September 27, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Calcutta International Cult Film Festival
    Kolkata
    India
    September 23, 2018
    Regional Premiere
    Outstanding Achievement Award
  • Bengals International
    Bengaluru
    India
    Semi-Finalist
  • SHORT to the Point
    Bucharest
    Romania
    European Premiere
    Official Selection
  • South Film and Arts Academy Festival
    Rancagua
    Chile
    Best Thriller Short Film
  • 7th Delhi Shorts International Film Festival - 18
    New Delhi
    India
    October 28, 2018
  • Virgin Spring Cinefest
    Kolkata
    India
    Gold Award Winner
  • FIVE CONTINENTS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
    Anzoategui
    Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
    Official Selection
  • Cult Critic Movie Awards
    Kolkata
    India
    November 5, 2018
    Finalist
  • IndiEarth XChange Film Festival 2018
    Chennai
    India
    Official Selection
  • Indogma Film Festival 2018
    Haryana
    India
    November 24, 2018
  • South Asian International Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    December 13, 2018
  • Golden Earth Film Award
  • Direct Short and Documentary Film Festival

    Best Editor
  • Chambal International Film Festival - Season 2
    Kota
    India
  • Golden Galaxy Award
    Kolkata
    India
    November 29, 2018
    Nomination
  • Cine Premiere Indie Shorts Season-3 - 2018
    New Delhi
    India
    December 9, 2018
  • South Asian International Film Festival - 2018
    New York
    United States
    December 14, 2018
    North American Premiere
  • Aab International Film Festival - 2018
    Kolkata
    India
    November 20, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Fabulosis Short Film Night - 2018
    London
    United Kingdom
    Official Selection
  • Ooty Film Festival
    Ooty
    India
    December 7, 2018
    Official Selection
  • 7th Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival-18
    Mumbai
    India
    December 3, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Filmingo International Short Film Festival - 2018
    Mumbai
    India
    December 13, 2018
    Official Selection
  • India Global Short Film Festival - 2018
    Chennai
    India
    December 9, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Near Nazareth Festival NNF - 2018
    Afula
    Israel
    Semi-Finalist
Director Biography - Vishesh Mankal

Vishesh Mankal has been making short films since he was in college. His first film “Suicide” was made way back in 2006. It was this film that gave him direction and got him started on his journey. In 2008, his short film “Peacock” managed to make a splash at the festival circuit and gain some accolades. In 2009-2010, his short film “Not Born Heroes” was also met with critical acclaim. However, his official career only began when he started working on commissioned projects. He started his career making videos for small organizations and websites on a freelance basis and eventually became a full-time video editor (and part-time cameraman) at Yash Raj Films, one of India’s biggest production houses. Having honed his skills in a professional environment, he then went on to direct ads, corporate films, training films and so on for various companies and agencies. This helped him strengthen his reel and get his foot in the door. He is currently working on a documentary on tigers and is hoping to get his first feature film funded soon.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"Harmless" is meant to thrill. No more and no less. My goal was to make a highly polished, fast-paced film, but inside of a very tight budget. The funding came from my own pocket and so naturally the goal was to make every penny count. Beyond the edges of the frames is where the money ran out. All the money was used to put things up on the screen. The cast and crew supported me wholeheartedly in this endeavor, which is why I believe "Harmless" is their film as much as it is mine. Having worked with me on previous projects, they all understood where I was coming from. Late nights, long journeys and the lack of payment were no deterrents to anyone. Our motto on this film was plain; pain is temporary, films are forever.
And so, "Harmless" is the result of a bunch of full-time professionals coming together for one thing; the love of making films. Hopefully, we've managed to make a good one in the process.