The Giant Wheel of Life directed by Mohammed Ali Rukadikar

'Aasmaani Jhoola': A poetry of survival :

Aasmaani Jhoola is an entertaining short film about a pakitmaar who finds a suicide note in a stolen wallet. Shot entirely in guerilla style inside a bustling mela in Mahim, Mumbai over a period of four days, the film is an out-and-out entertainer with a heart. The giant wheel, towering above it all, is a metaphor for life's ups and downs - sometimes thrilling, sometimes terrifying, but always moving.

The short film stands out for its ability to blend social commentary with the intimacy of personal storytelling. Its cinematography captures this contrast through striking compositions - vibrant yet melancholic, beautiful yet bruised. With a haunting score and invisible editing, Aasmaani Jhoola lingers well beyond its runtime. In a cinematic landscape dominated by spectacle, here is a film that dares to whisper - and in that whisper lies its power.

Aasmaani Jhoola does what big-budget Bollywood films often don't - entertain, that too without relying on a star-studded cast or inflated budgets. What begins as a cat-and-mouse drama evolves into a layered tale of survival and redemption, set against a mela teetering between chaos and compassion.