Scattered (Nikhilesh Matoo) India. Imagineindia 2018

Nikhilesh Matoo
India. 2017. 12 min.

Neel, a 30 year old man visits his ancestral house in downtown srinagar which his family left after growing threats to his community when militancy was at its peak and the majority was ready for their liberation from India. During this visit he meets the present occupants of that house and an old acquaintance of his family. The conversations he has with some of the characters speaks of the trouble that both communities have faced. The protagonist who came with the sole purpose of paying a visit to his house observes the difficulties with which this family gets by in their daily affairs. On this particular day, a cricket match between India and Pakistan results in Pakistan’s victory and the people of that area celebrating. Under these circumstances, the protagonist decides to stay back the night in his house. These present day scenes are interspersed with some flashbacks and dream sequences from the time when Neel was a 5 year old boy and his community was facing the threats.