Movie review of short film "Airwaves, Coffee and A Second Chance"

- Gianysh Toolsee           Let us know what you think about this article

Bars Entertainment and My Big Day Films’ first venture Airwaves, Coffee and A Second Chance is a story about love, deception, tolerance and break-ups. The story revolves around two couples; Sujit [Arjun Ramanand] and Mala [Andria D'Souza], and Varun [Nirmal Singh] and Aditi [Aditi Jajal]. Riya Singh [Tia Singh], a star jock of Radio City 101.6 FM, plays an important role in the narrative, when Sujit and Aditi make a call on Valentine’s Day for a radio special show. What unfolds is reality and common sense, where those in love, should consider given the options they have and the circumstances of their break-ups. The foundation of the story lies on trust, love, tolerance and friendship. The director’s vision is about peace and the story describes what happens in each couples’ troubled relationships.

Coming to the acting performances; Tia Singh is all natural and bubbly, displaying great talent; showing a plethora of facial expressions during her show on radio. Her performance is first class! Arjun Raman is commendable and his dialogue delivery is excellent, but could have handled the patch-up scene better. Andria D'Souza is okay and delivers an adequate performance. Lack of make-up should have been taken into consideration and was a must. Aditi Jajal is efficient, but could have been more expressive in certain scenes. Nirmal Singh could have delivered a more sincere performance but seems uninterested. Special appearance by Rohit Jayakaran is good and welcomed.

The story by Ankit Ojha and Vishaal Mahtani is fresh and vibrant and goes into the unpredictable category as the movie reaches the end. The editing and visual effects by Ankit Ojha are crisp, e.g. where the characters are on the phone and in the radio studio. Special shots of the Blackberry ringing and Riya in the studio are exemplary camerawork by the new director. On the flip side, a shot in the kitchen where there is rust under the pantry is an eye-sore! Indoor shots could have been more lit, while outdoor shots are too clear. Sound recording is good, but in instances where the mobile phone is ringing; it shows that the gap in the recording as the sound is not leveled.

Background score by Mahesh Raghavan is apt depicting the various moods and emotions displayed by the characters. However, while the theme played matches the atmosphere, the electronic piano used is too heavy, when heard on screen. A string sound would have been a better substitute for such emotional tracks. Music by Mahesh Raghavan, which is played in the closing credits, is melancholic and perfectly suits the theme. He is set to become a good tunesmith.

Screenplay and dialogues by Ankit Ohja move the story forward, but the swearing in the first five minutes could have been avoided. It does not gel well with the theme of the movie and is a minus point. Additional dialogues by Mohamed Poonawala, Nayana Ojha, Tia Singh, Areeba Hanif meet the script.

Director Ankit Ojha’s story is mature, intense and full of emotions and suspense at certain points. He has tackled the concept of ‘second chance’ in an interesting, yet logical manner throughout the story. He also shows potential as a main-stream director and story teller in Bollywood, when dealing with a mature theme, which now needs a new take in an industry where stories have been rehashed a zillion times! This movie is the answer.

Airwaves, Coffee and A Second Chance is a sweet story on paper, which has been brilliantly executed on screen! In a world where relationships have become so fragile and love has lost its meaning among so many, do watch this short film for a fresh perspective on relationships and a ‘second chance’. Recommended!

Rating: 7/10

Watch Airwaves, Coffee and A Second Chance on You Tube here (Disclaimer: MA 15+): youtube.com/watch?v=dD8-zo918BA

More about Airwaves, Coffee and A Second Chance here: facebook.com/AirwavesCoffeeAndASecondChance

About Ankit Ojha

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