If you have ever played gully cricket, terms like baby over, joker, one-hand pitch-catch etc. are not new to you. In fact, these words actually shaped the true essence of gully cricket. Capturing the same vibe on lens is the team of Tharle Box, a Bengaluru-based stand-up comedy group, that is releasing a nine-minute short film called Baby Over. Directed by debutant director and stand-up comic artiste Banu Prakash, the film takes you on a short journey of how gully cricket became a major part in the life of cricket lovers.
Prakash quit his corporate job in 2019 and joined Tharle Box as a stand-up artiste. His prolific writing pushed him to write for Tharle Box’s web series but unfortunately, did not take off. However, he got his breakthrough with Baby Over, which is inspired by true events that transpired during a gully cricket match involving Prakash. Baby over in gully cricket usually refers to a situation where one bowler bowls only three balls and another bowl the remaining three. “The film is inspired by real events that took place in my life when I was playing gully cricket.
Most of the ’90s kids usually have very fond memories of this format and are familiar with what the baby over is. The film is sure to bring back some nostalgic moments and some unexpected surprises during a gully cricket match,” says Prakash, who also plays a cameo in the short film.
According to Prakash, the story is set in the ’90s and it starts with the crucial final over of the match. What follows during the final over with some twists in the end, forms the crux of the story. “This short film consists of slow-motion visuals which we experimented with as a sports-based short film. The visuals and audio is also designed in such a way that it takes people back to the ’90s. Since the lockdown due to the pandemic forced us to stay indoors, not many kids are exposed to gully cricket,” says Prakash, who is also the writer for the short film.
Lohit Kumar S, co-founder of Tharle Box, says, “This project brought back memories of when I used to play cricket in my compound during my early days. This project is a blend of nostalgia and is laced with humour. Moreover, some major OTT players have shown some interest in our content and we are now working on some web-series scripts.” The short film is expected to release this weekend on Tharle Box’s YouTube channel.