Outpost is a Bro-mance of sorts set in a desert outpost, on the border between India and Pakistan, guarded by one soldier on each side. Shiva Shankar Bajpai's 16 minute short will make you smile and laugh at a couple of points as a goat, an unseen mosquito and the two leads, Deepak Dobriyal and Pankaj Tripathi, hold your attention more than the weak story. The dialog is as sparse as the terrain and you are made to wait and wait for something to happen. There is an episodic and predictable feel to the short as we wait for our characters to let their guard down, in the absence of authority, and connect with one another. The absence of authority does make you question the believability of the story and setting given the real world volatility of the India/Pakistan border. I think Bajpai misses a great opportunity in not exploring his characters by way of a better story and screenplay. The cinematography and directing is adequate and once again missed opportunity at creating a stylized film.
------------------------------------------- OUTPOST was one of eight short films nominated for the Satyajit Ray Foundation Short Film Award, that I watched on Tuesday the 15th July 2014 as part of the London Indian Film Festival at the ICA in Central London. Unfortunately I can't post reviews on three of the eight shorts: RANI, ALCHEMY & DEVIL IN BLACK STONE as they don't have supporting IMDb pages.
