Director Anil Bajpai’s latest directorial Happy Ending with Nalini Negi and Ishita Ganguly in the lead is already winning hearts as it streams on an OTT platform. This horror short film has been inspired by Swedish filmmaker David Sandber’s Lights Out.
Happy Ending is all of eleven minutes and would be one of the top watches during Halloween. It is written by Mushtaq Shiekh who is known for working in films like Om Shanti Om, Ra.One, Billu and Rangrezz.
Giving insights about making the film Bajpai mentions, “Happy Ending takes a unique approach by relying entirely on visuals and atmosphere to build suspense, eschewing dialogue altogether. While dialogue can be a powerful storytelling tool, its absence in this horror short creates a truly immersive experience for the audience. The film further elevates the chills with a shocking twist ending, a hallmark of effective horror storytelling.
He comments further on the challenges of the format, “Every scene and frame becomes crucial. With limited time to build suspense, you need to grab the audience's attention immediately and hold it captive. My inspiration for this approach was David Sandberg's chilling two-minute horror short, Lights Out. It masterfully delivered scares and surprises within a tight timeframe, proving that brevity can be incredibly effective in the horror genre."
Talking about working with the lead actors and Mushtaq, he recalls, ”Ishita and Nalini both are terrific performers. To be with Mushtaq Sir on the set was a life time experience. He is extremely humble and supportive. He is a terrific guide for filmmaking.”
Happy Ending is streaming on Jio Cinema
