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This Sassy Mother's Day Short Film, 'Jai Mata Di,' Is Going Viral For All The Right Reasons

A true clutter-breaker.
Terribly Tiny Talkies

Every Mother's Day, our news feed is invariably covered with a number of commercials that try to exploit the "Mothers Are Awesome" trope through emotionally manipulative, excessively schmaltzy videos.

The intent is to promote the brand while using Mother's Day as a proxy to send the message of how socially conscious they are. At times, these ads also backfire as they tap into the stereotypical depiction of mothers.

'Jai Mata Di,' a new production by the online production company, Terribly Tiny Talkies, challenges that very trope in the way it interprets the idea of a 'mother.'

Beautifully shot, the film is about a young unmarried couple trying to rent an apartment in Mumbai, where they encounter self-appointed moral guardians posing as chairperson/secretary of the housing society.

Like anyone who has ever rented an apartment in Mumbai can tell you, finding a house isn't as difficult as convincing the landlords of the sanctity of your character.

Shriya Pilgaonkar and Shiv Pandit play the role of the young, still-confused, occasionally-bickering couple and both of them are very convincing in their parts, especially Shriya, who impresses with her casual charm. But the scene-stealer in the short is undoubtedly the guy playing the real-estate agent -- Saanand Verma, and Supriya Pilgaonkar, who plays (and is, in real-life), Shriya's mother.

Written and directed by Navjot Gulati, the film does have some logical loopholes. For instance, a simple police-verification, which is compulsory, will bust the couple's modus operandi in a second. Also, the way the cab scenes are shot, they veer totally into Ramu-territory.

However, the film features some clever banter and a rather cool interpretation of what our mothers are capable of doing, which makes it worth watching.

Here's what Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap had to say about it:

Anurag Kashyap

Watch it here:

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.