Goodbye, Hello

Rarely you come across a film like Goodbye, Hello that is told so effortlessly and simply that you know that the director has distilled all of his young life's experiences to tell this poignant tale of love, death and release. I would recommend this film to all filmmakers who are struggling with the limitations of any kind: the narrative of the film itself is Subversive and it's told with such intention and sincerity that the joyfulness of creation shine through. What does death mean to us, is it an absolute finality. Where do we go when we die. Such existential, essential queries are turned over the head to give us an experience that is nothing short of genius of story telling.

It is difficult and pretty unfair to define this short film. Easy is to write - a story with ghost . But , obvious, it has minimum connection with the ghost stories around camp fire or with the good night stories of great father.

It is a story about ...mutual help. On a terrace , a ghost and a girl. Two wishes of the first behind a significant moment for it. And a connection between him and girl. At first sight, a story for kids , a parable or delicate remind about things who real matters. In fact, a warning and precise portrait of childhood.

Easy and unfair to define it as gem or masterpiece. It is just a story for you, pretty shy but courageous, touching and full useful. And it is enough, including for admirable performance of girl and for profound inspired dialogue.

Omkar Phatak's Goodbye, Hello is a fantastical short story of two lone souls meeting on a terrace, except that one of them is a ghost.

I loved how both of them communicate without spoken dialogue. The living character and the ghost communicate telepathically, with the audience following the conversation through subtitles. The dialogue is succinct, and does the job beautifully.

The director keeps it simple with the camera, effects and music, with nothing ever coming in the way of the story. Even the ghost is just wearing a white bed sheet and doesn't come with any CGI, somewhere making it all the more relatable. The makers rely instead on performances and writing to leave you with a lovely feeling, like a warm hug from a stranger you instantly connect with.

To speak of something as morbid & nuanced as life after death - with no audible dialogues and protagonists shrouded in a white cloth, on a terrace that will rarely catch a passer by's eye, and most importantly, with a childlike play and innocence - is what 'Goodbye, Hello' does best!

If this is what Omkar (writer and director) and the Team at 'Goodbye, Hello' have managed to weave for the screen as their first collective attempt, I can only find myself yearning to see more of such earnest storytelling from them, going forward!

Goodluck to Omkar and the Team at 'Goodbye, Hello'

• warmth,

nandita.