The Cobweb Broom

Ajay lives with his wife Riya and teenage daughter Mili in Gurugram, a satellite town of New Delhi. He is a senior executive at TTF, a reputed firm in Gurugram.

Ajay is a hardcore horror film and book addict! Ajay loves to spend his weekends indulging in horror flicks and books, much to the dismay of his family!

It’s 14th March 2020. Though it’s a Saturday, Ajay is required to attend an important client’s meeting in his office, in the afternoon. Early days of the pandemic, ‘work from home’ isn’t an option yet. Riya and Mili have some early appointments, so they leave at around 10 am. Ajay is now alone at home.

An old college friend, Akhilesh, whom Ajay nicknamed Jaala Jhadu (Cobweb Broom) owing to his tall, thin built and upright hair, turns up to meet him. In fact, they meet after two decades! Following a bout of initial awkwardness, they start having a rollicking time, reminiscing their college days!

After a while, Ajay reckons it’s time to get ready for the office. But Akhilesh asks him to bunk office, ostensibly to spend more time with him. Ajay, at first, was reluctant to take leave but then he gives in to Akhilesh’s stubborn insistence.

Ajay makes lemon tea, an old, college time favourite! Akhilesh teaches Ajay a card trick that he longed to learn since long! They chat on, enthusiastically...

But then Akhilesh leaves abruptly, saying he needs to go to a place far away.

Later in the day, some weird occurrences jolt and shock the family! Something apparently real proves to be unreal! And something perfectly unreal proves to be real! Followed by a horrific disaster…

Are these strange and disastrous incidents have a connection with Akhilesh's visit? What happens to this family while passing through these incidents?

Or, to start with, why did Akhilesh visit his friend suddenly after so long? Is it only a call of friendship or there's a sinister purpose? Or a ploy or a decoy?

Why did Akhilesh teach Ajay the card trick? Why did Akhilesh stop Ajay from going to office? Then why did he leave so abruptly? Or, did he visit at all?!

A strange, diabolical but touching story of friendship, loss, and redemption!

Told in a visually lyrical, rhythmic, and seamless flow of circumstances!

  • Debjyoti Bose
    Director
  • Debjyoti Bose
    Writer
  • Debjyoti Bose
    Producer
  • Yashraj Jadhav
    Key Cast
    "Ajay"
  • Vinay Kshirsagar
    Key Cast
    "Akhilesh/Jaala Jhadu"
  • Poonam Sharma
    Key Cast
    "Riya"
  • Geeta Thapa
    Key Cast
    "Mili"
  • Abhishek Singh Gaur
    Cinematographer
  • Varun Mehta
    Editor & Post Production Executive
  • Meeta Bose
    Executive Producer
  • Debjyoti Bose
    Sound Design & Background Score
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Jaala Jhadu
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour
  • Completion Date:
    March 31, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    English, Hindi
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Debjyoti Bose

Debjyoti Bose is a die hard film fanatic! His passion made him remain a student of filmmaking for the last 40+ years. His favourite film makers are Satyajit Ray, Billy Wilder, Orson Welles, William Wyler, Alfred Hitchcock, Milos Forman, Steven Speilberg & Yoshiziro Ozu. He learnt film making by keenly watching films by the Masters, especially the transitions between shots and scenes which, according to him are the most fundamental tenets of story telling through celluloid. He considers himself basically a story teller who exhilarates in expressing himself aesthetically. He believes that film is a language to express oneself simply and beautifully! He is an Architect from the most reputed and prestigious institute IIT Kharagpur. He was a corporate professional and an educator before turning into active filmmaking.

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Director Statement

I consider film, the audio-visual medium, is the most powerful language to communicate an idea, to express an emotion and to tell a story, simply and aesthetically! My favourite films are Pather Panchali, Amedeus, Ben-Hur, Double Indemnity, Schindler's list, Cinema Paradiso and Floating Weeds! Though this list continues...