Bloom (2021 film)

Bloom
Directed by	Richard Anthony
Written by	Richard Anthony Deepthi Govindarajan Sanaa Mariam
Starring	Mitra Visvesh Ashwin Raam
Narrated by	Kaber Vasuki
Cinematography	Niketh Bommireddy
Edited by	Sangathamizhan E.
Music by	Hari Madras Rengarajan
Production company	Room 101 Productions
Distributed by	Madras Talkies
Release date	19 May 2021 (2021-05-19) (YouTube)
Running time	36 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Bloom is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language short film directed by Richard Anthony, starring Mitra Visvesh and Ashwin Raam. The plot focuses on the romance between two different people, set in Chennai against the backdrop of COVID-19 lockdown in India in March 2020. The short film featured music by Hari Madras Rengarajan, cinematography handled by Niketh Bommireddy and edited by Sangathamizhan E. It was distributed by Mani Ratnam's production house Madras Talkies, and the film released on 19 May 2021 through YouTube.^[1][2]

Plot

Mitra, an artist and Ashwin, a budding musician reside in the same street in Chennai. After a nationwide lockdown to curb COVID-19 pandemic was imposed in March 2020, Ashwin started connecting virtually with Mitra and they develop a special bond within each other as they start exploring each other's life. They experience all kinds of emotions such as love, happiness, fun, excitement, guilt, jitters, confusion, loneliness, silence, through their relationship in the lockdown phase. The rest of the story is about their virtual relationship and how Mitra met Ashwin in person, for the first time.

Cast

• Mitra Visvesh as Mitra
• Ashwin Raam as Ashwin
• Kaber Vasuki as The God (narrator; voice-only)

Soundtrack

Bloom
Soundtrack album by Hari Madras Rengarajan
Released	7 June 2021
Recorded	2021
Genre	Film soundtrack
Length	30:50
Language	Tamil
Label	101 Records
Producer	Hari Madras Rengarajan

The music for the film is composed by Hari Madras Rengarajan and the short also featured poems written and recited by Kaber Vasuki.^[3][4] The original soundtrack album featured thirteen tracks composed by Rengarajan and his music band Sonocosm, and was released in its entirety on 7 June 2021 through Spotify, iTunes and Apple Music.^[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"Uyir"	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Kaber Vasuki	00:48
2.	"Ellaigal"	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Kaber Vasuki	01:50
3.	"Thuvakkam"	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Kaber Vasuki	01:26
4.	"Big Bang"	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Sonocosm	01:08
5.	"Sundowner"	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Sonocosm	02:52
6.	"MTRA"	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Sonocosm	02:58
7.	"Doobie Muse"	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Sonocosm	01:45
8.	"Video Love"	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Sonocosm	02:41
9.	"Contemplation"	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Sonocosm	02:30
10.	"Reality vs. Fiction"	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Sonocosm	03:53
11.	"Strangers in Paradise"	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Sonocosm	03:32
12.	"Sundowner" (Reprise)	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Sonocosm	02:35
13.	"Bloom"	Hari Madras Rengarajan, Sonocosm	02:44

Marketing and release

Madras Talkies announced the distribution of the short film and presented the first look through their social media handles on 10 May 2021.^[6][2] The film was released on 19 May 2021.^[7]

Reception

Asuthosh Mohan of Film Companion South reviewed "It’s not so much a denial of reality than a suggestion that films that help you cope are not necessarily an escape from reality. The pandemic, after all, plays God in Bloom."^[8] Avinash Ramachandran of Cinema Express wrote "There is no right or wrong in Bloom because it is set in a space where the lines can actually be blurred, and no one would bat an eyelid. Just like most things in the world, the beauty and the not-so-beautiful parts of Bloom squarely lies in the eyes of the beholder."^[9]

References

1. Ramanujam, Srinivasa (5 June 2021). "The short film boom: How the pandemic and lockdown triggered creative content". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
2. "Lockdown film that captures love, loneliness and little joys". dtNext.in. 20 May 2021. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
3. Chakrapani, Saranya (14 June 2021). "Chennai musician creates 'soundscape of pandemic'". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
4. "New Indian Film Soundtracks to Stream". Rolling Stone India. 17 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
5. "Bloom (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Hari Madras & Sonocosm". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
6. Madras Talkies [@MadrasTalkies_] (12 May 2021). "The dystopia we live in right now, navigating our existence and emotions, one thing remains a constant. Our singular draw towards an emotion as old as Adam and Eve. Love. #Bloom Thrilled to present Richard Anthony's short 'Bloom' on our YT channel. Coming soon" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
7. "Bloom | Short Film | Madras Talkies | Richard Anthony". YouTube. 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
8. Mohan, Ashutosh (4 June 2021). "Bloom, On YouTube, Is A Stylized Take On Modern Love In The Lockdown". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
9. Ramachandran, Avinash (31 May 2021). "Bloom Short Film Review: A visually rich tale of love in the time of lockdown". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.

External links

• Bloom at IMDb