Introduction –
Post-apocalyptic dystopian film genre is the most challenging. It involves a world or worlds which are dramatically different from ours. It becomes even more challenging when this theme is set in the future. Carbon is one such example.
Synopsis –
The year is 2067. Earth is already an inhospitable planet. While the rich and the affluent humans have migrated to Mars, there are many left behind to face difficulties such as nonexistence of oxygen and water. Random ( Jackky Bhagnani ) is one such human being. Like millions who are now born with a dead or faulty heart, Random too is breathing with the help of artificial pump.
Random is asked by Yakub ( Yashpal Sharma ) to deliver precious oxygen cans to a customer, Shah ( Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who has arrived from Mars. Yakub warns Random that he needs to handover oxygen cans in lieu of 40 crore rupees and get back before the curfew is declared. However, the deal with Shah goes sour. Random shoots him dead. However, Random is surprised to find a girl locked up in a casket. Her name is Pari ( Prachi Desai ) who is actually a Humanoid.
Does Ramdom reach Yakub’s hideout on time? What about Pari? What is her role in this short film? Get your answers by watching Carbon ( The effects of Carbon on Earth ).
Analysis –
There is no doubt that the subject is excellent. It has the required depth and substance. However, and as mentioned above, sci-fi, apocalyptic and dystopian films demand huge budget and equally lengthy period to drive home the point. This is especially true when the same is set in the future. Unfortunately, Carbon neither has the budget not the required time frame.
It is a bold attempt by the director duo – Maitreyi Bajpai and Ramiz Ilham Khan. Films such as Carbon seldom succeed due to performances or star cast. They become blockbusters because of the story, intelligent sub-plots, stunning and surreal visualizations, state of the art props, costumes and VFX. Does Carbon have any of these elements? Unfortunately it doesn’t.
To put it bluntly everything about Carbon is amateurish. Jackky Bhagnani looks tired while Prachi Desai expressionless. All we can say is that a fantastic concept got lost because of budget and time frame. The only consolation was the futuristic and robotic voices emanating from public address systems and transparent computing devices.
2016 Maitreyi Bajpai and Ramiz Ilham Khan Shefali Bhushan 25 Minutes Amazon miniTV | LargeShortFilms