Experiencing Interruptions?

No Woman's Child

Micki (25) and her mother whom she calls Mumma (58) have been staying apart for most of Micki's adulthood. As the country is reeling under a lockdown at the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, the mother and the daughter find refuge in a bungalow in the hills owned by their relative. Micki, a young independent woman, remains anxious in her mother's newfound company, away from her usual distractions while the mother uselessly reaches out, in her own set manners, almost never to any success. However, when Micki begins hearing the voice, her first act is to tell her mother about it who brushes it off. The voice continues, calling Micki as her daughter, Pari. Micki's cold feet heightens and so does her distance from her mother. The mother is frustrated at this change but speaks barely, afraid of irking her daughter's sensibilities which differ from hers.

But the first horror has just begun. One day, the voice takes over, waking up Micki from her sleep, and Micki responds to it. She calls it 'Maa'.

  • RITI KUMAR
    Director
  • Riti Kumar
    Writer
  • Neeti Kumar
    Producer
  • Prachi Arya
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Maa
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    2,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    Hindi
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3/16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - RITI KUMAR

Riti Kumar is an independent filmmaker and scriptwriter based out of Mumbai. Engaged currently in writing multiple projects, she has worked with a number of writer's rooms and organisations in the Hindi Film Industry. She has graduated from FTII, Pune in Feature Film Screenplay Writing.

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Director Statement

The experimental treatment of the film uses dialogues and spaces to establish characters and narrative with the point of view of the rising restlessness and isolation experienced by the people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The extensive use of landscape shorts is to indicate the passage of time in the narrative.

The film also attempts to address growing mental health issues faced by millennials through the route of exploring the 'generation gap' between parents and children that often deepens the problem in a world that is transforming too quickly, and sometimes, abruptly.