Who Are You, Nanu? – A Moving Tribute To A Loved One

Writer-director Anjini Taneja Azhar’s Who Are You, Nanu? is transcendental, soul-stirring and evocative. A sonnet of imagination and memories, the film at 15:00-minute feels like a warm lullaby haltingly remembered from one’s childhood. Evenly paced, the drama is an ode to a loving grandfather, whose life, lessons and memories paint a vivid imagery of unbridled joy, grief and deep affection for life in itself.

9-year-old Isha (Jyothi Janath) who has recently lost her dear Grandpa (Nanu), witnesses the cremation by Ganges along with her parents Faisal (Shaurya Tyagi) and Indu (Suchitra Pillai). Little does this foreign-born-&-bred child know of her roots or culture, to make sense of complex life experiences such as death and loss. But, in her precocious mind, the soft lullaby her mother sings to her borrowed from an Indian folklore colours her imagination. She begins to wonder and question. And, in the best possible way, Indu & Faisal explain to their child what death entails. The gentleness with which the parents address her concerns is both heartwarming and touching. The rest of the film is about her voyage thereafter, through time and generations to understand where her beloved Nanu went or who he really was. She knows snippets of his life, both from memory and having spent time with him–but to a 9-year-old, memories alone cannot satiate their quest for answers.

When Isha meets the phantom of her Nanu as a 7-year-old (Kabir Pahwa), the adventure begins. The stories, fables, memories entwine into creating a world that is unearthly. The conversations between the two transcend through time and space and we find answers where we least expect them.

Azhar’s writing and storytelling is compelling. While the subject is heavy and laden with subtexts, Azhar ensures that she doesn’t overburden her audience. Instead she plays around with elements, letting them linger in the background. Alex Winkler’s composition too adds layers to the narrative, prodding the audience with clues. What deserves particular attention is the editing (Bucky Illingworth). It gives such a rich, seamless experience, that despite the set design, it doesn’t appear jarring to the viewers. Instead, we too get absorbed into Isha’s world, and we see life and death, through the prism of a 9-year-old’s profound understanding of life.

This isn’t a biopic, or at least it doesn’t attempt to be one. It’s an eulogy filled with profound love and melancholy trying to assemble the pieces of a loved one lost. And, the cast does a stellar job at bringing them to life. Be it in the knowing mischief of Pahwa’s eyes, or the precociousness in Janath’s performance, only compounded with the restrained performances of Pillai and Tyagi, Who Are You, Nanu? is a compelling, though-provoking sentiment that is universal. There are no answers here, only probabilities and possibilities that seem as infinite as a child’s imagination–and in it, we learn to revel for what we have here in between life and death.

Azhar brings forth a storybook to life. If you are someone who grew up on stories or would wish to revisit them, Who Are You, Nanu? is your best find. In its 15-minute-long narrative it promises to give it all and more.

Highly recommended!

Watch Who Are You, Nanu? Short Film Trailer