Happy Birthday Mummyji

Happy Birthday Mummyji is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language drama short film written and directed by Shefali Shah, who stars as the single character in the film, and produced by Sunshine Pictures.

Happy Birthday Mummyji
Directed byShefali Shah
Written byShefali Shah
Produced byLalit Prem Sharma
StarringShefali Shah
CinematographyEeshit Narain
Edited byAntara Lahiri
Music byPrasad S.
Distributed byRoyal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films
Release date
  • 23 July 2021 (2021-07-23)
Running time
14 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Plot

The story of a woman who is recognised by her relationships with other people, preparing a birthday party.

Production

In 2020, Shah decided to experiment with writing and directing in two self-starring COVID-19-based short films, Someday and Happy Birthday Mummyji.[1][2] In Someday, which marked her directorial debut, she played a frontline healthcare worker who returns home for a seven-day quarantine due to the pandemic and spends time interacting through a door with her elderly mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.[3] Shah wrote the script of Happy Birthday Mummy Ji drawing upon her own life experiences and believed her central character in it "represents all the women you know".[2]

Themes

A single-character film,[4] the film addresses themes of loneliness, female desire. Shah said about the film: "I believe it is a story from my life, my friends, my mom’s. It is perhaps the need to tell that we have reached a point of desperation and would just like to let go."[5]

Release

The film was released on 23 July 2021 by Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films.[5]

Reception

Critical response

The film opened to positive reviews and attracted some notice for a masturbation scene played by Shah.[6][7]

References
  1. Shah, Shefali (17 December 2020). "Everything I consumed on screen as an escape from 2020 helped me evolve into a filmmaker, writes Shefali Shah". Firstpost. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  2. Cyril, Grace (23 July 2021). "Shefali Shah says Happy Birthday Mummy Ji is inspired by her own life. Interview". India Today. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  3. "Wasn't sure if I had it in me to direct a film: Shefali Shah on 'Someday'". The New Indian Express. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  4. Majumdar, Mayukh (21 September 2021). "We can pretend that women don't have sexual needs but they do - Shefali Shah". Filmfare. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  5. Daliya, Ragini (23 July 2021). "Shefali Shah on her short film Happy Birthday Mummyji, turning director, and the plight of hands-on homemakers". Firstpost. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  6. Roy, Priyanka (1 August 2021). "'This is what I've dreamt of'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  7. "'Someone asked me if I committed suicide': Shefali Shah on 'masturbation' scene in 'Happy Birthday Mummy Ji'". Free Press Journal. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
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