Rat in The Kitchen: New short film reveals the horrors of solo living in Mumbai

What becomes of a space your beloved has chosen to abandon Filmmaker Arkish Aftab explores the depths of this existential quandary through his debut film ndash lsquoRat in The Kitchen Set to release on JioCinema on October 2 the film is inspired by a reallife plot weaving a web of mystery and unfurling a strange climax of an urban life marked by neglectldquoWe have set the film in Mumbai Having lived here for the past six years ndash I relate to the urban isolation that tends to get under onersquos skin at times Despite being surrounded by people there is a staggering sense of loneliness which comes with living in a city that never stops to ponderrdquo shares Arkish who came across the original story while surfing Reddit and decided to turn it into a screenplayTaking cues from the true incidents Arkish and his team devised a depressed protagonist Vikram Mantra Mugdh who is undergoing a divorce from his wife Riya Aishwarya Desai Vikram lives a life of despondency and chooses to neglect his health the condorsquos hygiene and incessant calls from Riya He particularly neglects this one room at the far end of the house ndash that echoes Riyarsquos enchanting voiceStarring Mantra Mugdh and Aishwarya Desai the film is making waves with nominations at prestigious film festivals like the International South Asian Film Festival Canada Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival and Bengaluru International Short Film FestivalLoneliness a lack of sense of belonging and emotional bereavement become the ongoing motif of the filmrsquos universe Grappling with the new normal Vikram is survived by alcohol and fond memories of his departed love By now the sense of neglect has seeped deeper on multiple levels ndash emotional mental physical as well as moral and he seems to be losing the grip on his own belongingsThe film takes a dark turn when Vikram realises he is not alone in the house When he returns home from work he starts to notice a pattern of his kitchen being burglarised and his food vanishing day after day This sets the tone of this eerie thriller which is mounted with the interplay of lights and shadows The paranoia gets fueled further by cinematic elements of lowkey lighting towering frames and dark huesldquoWe have deployed Mumbai Monsoon as a character in the film Deviating from the norm of romanticising rains ndash we have used it as a tool to reflect Vikramrsquos internal turmoilrdquo shares Arkish In a seemingly suspended state of time the gloominess of the weather personifies a desolate man living his life on the edge Rat in The Kitchen evolves as a neonoir dance of elements gradually plunging into darknessMantra Mugdh received the award of Best Actor for the short film at the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2023Skillfully interspersed audio and visual elements run as a common thread providing a cinematic feast for viewers When it came to the location the team scoured a house with a certain depth ndash a pivotal element in unveiling the ultimate discoveries Together the Director of Photography ndash Yash Kamat and Arkish settled on using moonlight and TV light for interior shots enveloping the scenes in an aura of suspense and mysteryAnother crucial element comes into play with the integration of CCTV footage The voyeuristic perspectives granted by the footage aptly suit the films genre delivering an unsettling insight into who really was stealing the food This isnt your runofthemill horror its a disturbing portrayal of true events that does justice to the buildup with its sterling climax The discovery of the real rat in the kitchen becomes the revelation of Vikramrsquos own psychic destitutionThe film is a collaborative effort erected by creative minds of varied expertise It started off as a reading session between Arkish and the creative producers ndash Afroz Khan and Purvi ldquoWhen Mantra came in he had his own take on the character which was enriching to the film I sponged on everyonersquos brain to extract flavours and thatrsquos how the film came to liferdquo tells Arkish to MiddayArkish Aftab Afroz Khan and Mantra Mugdh LRThe OTT platform lends itself to the film effectively creating a personalised immersion of atmospheric horror Although the makers of the film didnrsquot consider platforms while shooting it blends well with the intimate style of consuming content In the directors opinion the creative flow of the story is more important than optimising frames for OTT vs big screen ldquoIf one messes with this trajectory ndash they are not being true to their craft remarks ArkishHe belongs to the trailblazing alumni of AJK MCRC Jamia Millia Islamia ndash Delhi His filmography began in college with an experimental project ndash lsquoKirdaarrsquo where he got the opportunity to write shoot and direct the 54minute long thriller A big fan of the American film director and screenwriter ndash M Night Shyamalan Arkish enjoys writing a plot thick with a twist Six years ahead he continues in his element to write another screenplay dense with unexpected turnsNegligence laced with eerie suspense becomes the running theme of Rat in The Kitchen Whether itrsquos Vikramrsquos detached life the inattentive security guard or the widespread rodent problem in Mumbai ndash laxity strikes the audience repeatedly through subtexts Employing the symbolism of rats the filmmakers illustrate how living like a desolate has challenged Vikrams sanity safety and selfrelianceArkish remembers feeling an instant connection with the original story ldquoItrsquos a reality that I identify with Living in Mumbai taught me how nobody really has any time to pause and reflect upon their lives The infectious pace keeps us distracted from the muck as we keep looking aheadrdquo he adds