Rogan Josh review: Even as a benign thriller, this short film manages to clench you till the curtain falls

Their conversation at the dining table is just like how every other family cum friends get together would sound like. It unfolds with time to give the viewers subtle hints of their past, but leaves no room for us to precisely guess what's in the desert. An applause for writer-director Sanjeev Vig as he manages to keep the viewer gripped till the end through their chatter where awkward and uncomfortable silence constantly condenses as well as dissolves. Having said that, he makes sure the cat isn’t out of the bag until the end.

A special mention of the camera work. Freehand camera movement instead of a static one makes us too, a part of the scene. We have got to see this type of direction in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's ‘Rang De Basanti’ as well. Sanjeev Vig’s insidious shift of camera focus from his subject to the objects around reveals the plot gradually.

For example, sharp focus the clock in the dining room showing 8 o'clock or the calendar in the kitchen showing the date 26/11/2017; yes, that's a hint. Kudos to Shishir Sharma, Avantika Akrekar, Bhuwan Arora and Shriswara for their cursive and effortless performances. Naseeruddin Shah is a treat himself, unexpected close-up of him has added depth to the scenes.

This short film, produced by Abhishek Rege under the banner of Endemol Shine India is a tribute to the agonising wounds this nation is still nursing and trying to recover from. The end will move you, scrub your deep cuts, but will teach you something extremely essential to take away from it. For that last spoon of mystery, Rogan Ghosh makes for a worthwhile 17-minute watch.