Released on Voot, Love In The Time Of Corona is a part of the Voot Film Festival. The film consists of three short stories created by a majority of female cast and crew. The film shows the life of three different women living under lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It shows us a glimpse into the lives of these three women and what it is to love while being stuck at home. All three parts of the film are shot remotely.
– Love in the Time of Corona review contains spoilers –
The first story of Love In The Time Of Corona is Dinner in Lockdown. It is a story about a couple – Malvika, played by Shibani Dandekar, and Nirvik, played by Shekar Ravjiani, living in Malabar Hills. It starts with Malvika preparing for a special dinner which seems to be a usual thing that she does. Nirvik and her have a conversation that points out the stressful situation that they are living under.
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What is Love?
At the first glance, it might remind you of Malcolm & Marie. Marie prepares pasta for Malcolm who talks to her about his work. The use of black and white frames instead of colour reminds you of that. As the story moves forward, Malvika breaks down in front of Nirvik. She releases that her world is not as perfect as she thinks and as it appears to be. She lives in a grand house in a posh area. She is a psychiatrist who keeps on helping her friends and family with their problems.
When glass breaks, it triggers her and she tells Nirvik to face the reality. At first, you might not understand what she means by that. But as the credit roll comes, a text appears in front of us which explains the story. By saying that to Nirvik, she means that he needs to stop pretending he has feelings for her as she knows that he is a closeted part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
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In the next story of Love In The Time Of Corona, we meet a woman, played by Dipannita Sharma. While living alone in her big house during the lockdown, she sends a message to her ex-partner. They start to talk about their relationship and how it was a mistake to break up. While sitting alone and being swallowed by loneliness, she contemplates her decisions and reaches out to the person she once loved. The film ends with the note that says, research has found out that in the time of corona we all think of lost or old love.
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Anthology on Love
As we reach the last part of the film Tea and a Rose, we see a love story brewing between a couple during the time of Covid. Mrs. Khan, played by Natasha Rastogi, is a woman who lives alone. Her son lives in New York and her husband has passed away. One day she meets her old friend Mr. Sen, played by Adil Hussein. Both of them share a cup of tea while talking to each other about the current situation. The two, a widow and a widower, contemplate what it feels like to love again.
All these short stories make Love In The Time Of Corona a spectacular watch. Each story is not more than 20 minutes long. What we appreciate the most about the film is that it uses a plethora of diverse women as both crew and characters. It is directed and created by Indrani Ray, the producer is Tanvi Gandhi and the editor is Eun-Ah Lee. Love In The Time Of Corona is a sweet anthology that explores the turbulent time of love while the whole world is locked away.
You can watch Love In The Time Of Corona on Voot.