My Hate Letter To Cycles and/or Self harm(2022)
Shaurya after being fed up with his environment, comes together with his crew to point out the elephant in the room. After suffering in a dysfunctional family for most of his life and realising its visceral impact on his mother (Madhu), he convinces her to act in a media project and tries to raise questions by masking the activity as an “actor’s exercise”. He creates a facade to heal the damage his family has faced due to the influence of societal norms and patriarchy in tandem. Shaurya’s father Naval lurks around to keep surveillance and that’s exactly what he's been set up for. Vandit & Shaurya ask Madhu to perform activities to create physical discomfort whenever she adheres to societal norms. The nature of this activity is questioned by the parents, especially Naval, as most of the questions point fingers at him. Due to this, his true character is brought to the forefront. Consequently, a confrontation breaks out and it leads to an uncanny incident.
Quick Facts
- Theatrical Release
- 22 July 2022
- Director
- Harsh Vardhan Kumar
- Language
- Hindi
- Runtime
- 19m
- Rating
- 8.0/10
Storyline
A young man, tired of his dysfunctional family, convinces his mother to take part in a project disguised as an acting exercise. Through this, he secretly challenges the harmful family norms and his father's controlling behavior. This leads to a major confrontation that exposes long-hidden truths.
“A son's secret project exposes a family's hidden pain.”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Trivia
- The film's title is a direct reference to the director's own short film 'My Hate Letter To Cycles' from 2020, which explored similar themes.
- It was shot entirely in real locations in Delhi and Noida, using natural lighting to create a raw, documentary-like feel.
- The actor playing Naval, Ashish Dahiya, had previously worked with the director on multiple student film projects before this feature.
- The film had a very limited theatrical release, primarily screened at festival circuits and independent cinema halls in India.
- Several scenes involving Madhu's 'actor's exercise' were improvised based on the actress's own discussions with the director about societal pressure.
- The soundtrack features ambient sounds and minimal score, with no traditional songs, to maintain the film's intense, realistic atmosphere.
- A key confrontation scene was filmed in one continuous take to heighten the emotional tension between the characters.