2022 | India | Short

बत्तीसी (Dentures)

  • Hindi French, English 16 mins
  • Director | Siddharth Potade, Nikhil Lama
  • Writer | Siddharth Potade, Nikhil Lama
  • Producer | Prabhav Sharma, Nikhil Lama, Siddharth Potade

STATUS: Released

This film is currently not available.   

A family elder in India is on his way to a hotel to celebrate his 90th birthday, but he is already in a confused mental state. He suffers from dementia and doesn’t recognize the man who's going to drive him to the party venue—his son. A little later, preparations for the festivities are in full swing, but the elderly man is either hanging around in the lobby, bewildered, or searching the empty corridors for his dentures.

The camera keeps its distance, sometimes shooting through half-open doors to reveal the man continually struggling to get a grip on his life—but to no avail. We also see other family members in the run-up to the party as, in dryly-humorous tones, they recount memories of their birthday boy in better days.

The scenes of the old man are relatable, sad and confrontational, but still remain lighthearted in tone—not least because his family members talk openly about him in his presence, although he doesn’t appear to be picking up on much of their conversation. This warmhearted film about family, ageing and memory loss turns into pure comedy when, while no one is watching, the old man walks off with a goldfish in a bowl.

Old Elder Family Dementia Celebration