TERRIBLY TINY TALKIES’ RELEASES ITS FIRST MADE-AT-HOME MOVIE ‘HALF OF MY HEART’ MADE DURING TIMES OF SOCIAL DISTANCING

Jyothi Venkatesh

India’s premier film studio Terribly Tiny Talkies has released its first made-at-home short film titled ‘Half Of My Heart’ today on their YouTube channel.  Starring Arjun Kanungo & Sejal Kumar and directed by Keyur Shah, the film is a resilient effort by India’s most celebrated social storytelling platform, TTT to celebrate the indomitable spirit of love in the times of ‘social distancing’.If you, dear reader, have ever been in love, you will know that sometimes, even the most trivial issues lead to the biggest of fights.

In a similar vein, this heartfelt short film depicts the story of Tasha and Raghav as a couple who have broken up, yet again, unpredictably and in the middle of a national lockdown. Half of Tasha’s things are with Raghav, and half of his are misplaced. Do they survive the distance or does this ‘social distance’ actually bring them together? Watch the film for what can be deciphered as the sweetest perspective on love in the times of corona.Played by popular artists Sejal Kumar (digital actor, singer, performer) & Arjun Kanungo (Indian singer, composer, actor) - this is a truly special film for Terribly Tiny Talkies as it has been shot at the actors’ homes in its entirety without any set or equipment, to portray real life as truly as possible, given the circumstances in today’s situation.

Sharanya Rajgopal, Studio Head at Terribly Tiny Talkies and also the writer of the film , mentions, “To think of making a film under these circumstances felt impossible, challenging and exciting all at the same time. So we did what we knew best. Dive in and treat this short film with as much love and heart and focus as any other. Possibly more. So grateful that we found Arjun and Sejal who came on board immediately knowing that they would have to do all the heavy lifting on 'set' , their homes, by themselves.But even more power to have our director keyur lead the entire cast and crew with so much patience and enthusiasm. This short has renewed our love for storytelling through film. And we can't wait to do more."I’m super excited to be part of this short film by TTT. I play the role of Raghav, a happy go lucky guy who has a problem with structure which drives his girlfriend crazy. We all have a little Raghav in us and that’s what made it fun to play him. We had to shoot everything by ourself (something I haven’t done in years!) It was challenging for sure. What I am surprised with is the final result. I can’t believe how well it’s turned out which is a testament to the planning and vision of the Keyur, Sharanya and the team at TTT. – Said, Arjun Kanungo

Commenting on the launch of the film, Sejal Kumar said - I play Tasha who is a feisty and artsy girl from Delhi living in Mumbai. Pretty similar to my own story actually. It was great to act in a romantic short film as that’s a space I personally really love. Shooting was very different from being on an actual set! Lots of jugaad and improvs led to the final result. Acting in TTT’s Half Of My Heart was such a unique experience as this is the first of its kind, a short film shot at home by the actors! It was such a pleasure acting opposite Arjun Kanungo although fun fact, we never actually acted with each other! It looks so seamless in the film, you won’t be able to tell!It was such a surreal experience making this short film.

Suddenly there’s not much in your control as a director, and somehow you work around these things and something so sweet gets made with everyone's effort and willingness to not be stopped and keep going. Have to love the creation and not be bogged down by limitations. Love it that TTT took this challenge up and involved me along with Arjun and Sejal. – Commented, Keyur Shah, director. Having received awards and worldwide recognition at festivals such as Clermont Ferrand, Filmfare and Jagran and known for their forte of making path breaking films, TTT continues to win the web with its premium, well-produced content. In this age of dwindling attention spans, TTT tells stories that are quick to consume, but hard to forget. Their stories reach over 20 million people every week.

Catch the film on TTT’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnmc_PeDpqp5ww2PcB4dU9w