Leeches (2016) User Reviews

When I read 'Abhay Deol Presents', my curiosity went above the ceiling

[mann10024 · 8/10 · 28 April 2020]

And it did meet the level of curiosity. Something so original, revealing the harsh truth of the happenings to the girl in some cities.

Very shocking towards the end, does a good job with a truly important subject

[Horst_In_Translation · 8/10 · 7 September 2018]

"Leeches" is an Indian 2016 short film written and directed by Payal Sethi. It runs for slightly under half an hour and garnered quite a bit of awards recognition back then and still looking at the quantity of imdb votes here, it is criminally underseen because I think it was a really good movie. Maybe the general idea of how the leech is used towards the end is slightly absurd, but not on a level where it hurts the film, quite the opposite actually. The actors are all good, especially Sayani Gupta, who does not seem like the protagonist early on, but is definitely more tha suitable for the part. I would be surprised if she does not have a really good career in years to come. Her looks don't hurt either. Now about the plot: This is the story of a young woman who wants to protect her underage sister from being forced to marry a much older man and have sex with him. Yeah well, the next time people complain about a priest accidentally touching Ariana Grande's sideboob and what waves it makes and what a scandal it turns into, these people should perhaps see this movie we have here and the actual shockingly hurtful discrimination depicted in here. This is how women are horribly discriminated against in other parts of the world and it is painful to watchn at times. Really embarrassing for a huge country like India that they are so far behind with regard to gender equality. Anyway, I recently read the made progress when it comes to homosexual relationships and tolerance about these, so there is definitely hope for women too and maybe it is not all that bad the way it is depicted in this short film, probably mostly in the countryside. really tough to find any flaws here. Maybe it could have been 3 or 4 minutes shorter as there are some lengths early on, but these are really made up for with the memorable ending in my opinion. Touching and realistic. This is not your typical Bollywood movie. Quite the opposite actually, it felt very western to me most of the time. Go see it. Highly recommended and it's among the very best the year 2016 has to odder in terms of short films.

Saving a One Day bride

[tanujpoddar · 7/10 · 19 April 2018]

The story is set in Old City of Hyderabad, showing a poor Muslim family where the mother promises her 13 year old mute daughter as a bride to a rich patron, in return for money. These marriages are just a guise for prostitution, as the marriage and divorce certificates are drawn out simultaneously, leaving the patrons with no obligations towards their "virgin" brides once they leave. Of course, there is a system with various characters who run the whole show smoothly and make their cuts in the process. The main protagonist of the movie is Raisa, who is the elder sister of the young girl who wants to save her and wants to become the bride instead. The problem is that the bride has to be virgin. This starts a journey for finding out ways to fake virginity so that she can substitute her sister and save her from the ordeal. The film was made from crowd-sourcing and mostly casts local actors. Sayani, a professional actor who plays the role of Raisa, brings in life into film and helps it to elevate it from a documentary to a story with a protagonist that one can relate to. While all other characters are happy with the way things are happening, Raisa sees that what is happening to her sister is not right and wants a way out to save her.

Eye opener for women sensitisation

[anshulk7 · 9/10 · 5 April 2021]

A 27min concise and well articulated message of the movie has shed more light than anything else on this topic can ever do. Now, I do recall 'leeches' section in hospitals during my stay in Hyderabad many years ago. Never realised the deep rooted ideologies (or lack of it) or the ulterior reasons behind the popularity. Would be curious to know/research if this practise is more by choice or by force / unavoidable circumstances, as in this movie. Every woman (irrespective of religion or age) should be sensitised with this aspect and take a leaf or two out from this movie and this book of reality. Hope more like this can be created and shared !

Disappointing

[rimjhimrimjhim-94127 · 1/10 · 2 November 2020]

This movie could have been so much; but it ended up being a half-developed mashup of half-nothings. Characters felt under-developed and so did the dialogues. Honestly, it feels like it was made to be a knock-your-socks-off-and-forces-you-to-think but it fails. I am disappointed on the story's account which deserved to be told in a better way.