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Mannat, is an Indian Hindi-language suspense drama short-film directed by Arpita Pattanayak and produced by Sooraj Khanna, whose production company operates as Films By Filmbuffs, featuring Ashwath Bhatt, Mandakini Goswami  and Anamika Shukla. Mannat is an emotional journey of a forty-five year old lady, who is desperate to get a baby which is not possible biologically and about her husband who is a silent viewer of his wife's pain. Mannat is the fruit of two people's dream: Arpita Pattanayak, the director of the film and Sooraj Khanna, the producer; because when it is an independent cinema, it takes a lot of courage, blood and sweat to shape a beautiful story into a beautiful ecstasy of cinema. Mannat's success gives a hope to all independent filmmakers who want to make content-driven cinema.

Plot
Mannat is a prayer of Sandhya, a forty five year old lady who is desperate to get a baby, which is not possible biologically now. Sandhya is in immense pain for this incompleteness of her life and surrenders herself to all kind of worships and religious rituals, which her husband Vijay doesn’t believe in. Vijay, on the other hand feels helpless seeing his wife’s unfulfilled wish to have a baby and her gradual surrender to depression and loneliness. Mannat is a prayer or wish of Sandhya and Vijay both to eradicate the incompleteness of their lives; which can be fulfilled only with a strong belief system.

Release
The film was released by Mx Player on 9 October 2020, by Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films on 24th  October  2020A  and on By Hotsar on 11th November 2020.

Critic Reviews
A feel of loneliness and emptiness is created in the opening image of Arpita Pattanaik’s Mannat. Color threads are wrapped on a sacred wishing tree. The next image is that of an ancient old tree standing alone in a wide field. These visuals along with their accompanying background sound and music express the title of the film—mannat (lit., worshiping God to achieve something).

The camera then moves from the wide natural outdoor settings to an indoor one. A middle-aged man is enjoying his evening drink. A woman (Mandakini Goswami) in her late forties enters the frame and prays before the altar. It can be read from her physical expression that she intensely wishes for something particular from her god (mannat). Moments later, she throws herself on the man, but just as the lovemaking is about to begin, he touches an amulet tied around her waist, and the entire mood of the characters and scenario change. The irritated husband scolds her and with that minimum dialogue, the audience is informed that the couple have a problem and that the man is displeased at his wife’s blind belief. The dialogues reveal the unspoken intentions of the wife’s prayer in front of a picture of the child Krishna.

Employing minimalist acting, Mandakini demonstrates feelings of desire, longing, and the loneliness of a childless woman. Her character’s aggressive mood for physical relation, rituals before the tree, and the brief sequences outlined above express agony and inner turmoil.

The cinematographer brings to the canvas the required mood of depression. The use of long shots creates a physical structure of the inherent loneliness.

While the longing of a mother for a child of her own is the dominating concept, Mannat goes on to offer the protagonist an alternate way of attaining pleasure and satisfaction. The director makes up for lack of attention to characterization by telling her story sensitively. She beautifully establishes the motivating theme within minimum time and space, utilizing cinematic elements with skill to enhance the sense of anticipation in the narrative. The linear, simple-yet-inquisitive opening establishes the intention of the principal character in physically-texted visuals. The aggressive spirit of the scene is intensified by the color of the protagonist’s dress—red.

About Director
Arpita Pattanayak, who has come a long way from a very small town of West Bengal to the city of dreams - Mumbai.

It has been a real challenge to break all the taboos and barriers of middle class thought process which always pushed her not to believe that becoming a film director will be easy. "But when you know what your heart wants nobody can stop you." - With this belief Arpita came a long way to achieve her big dream of becoming a film-director. She is the writer-director-editor of film Mannat and her journey can definitely inspire many aspiring filmmakers.

About Producer
Sooraj Khanna, a passionate producer who is saviour to many aspiring film directors to fulfil their creative aspiration has not walked some extra miles to help this story come out as a film. From a very simple family, Sooraj Khanna has also come a long way with twelve years of hardcore struggle in Bollywood and finally becoming a producer.