India, Oct. 11 -- We have seen variants of RK Laxman's Common Man in our pop culture for years. He is the archetypal silent protagonist, observing but never commenting. Several films - both long and short - and shows have experimented with variations of this trope, if we can even call it that. The idea is always how one entity sees all that is happening around them. Shivam Shankar's Bhed Bakri Bhoot flips that premise on its head by using an inanimate object as that silent protagonist - a public toilet, or rather, its walls. And in 30 minutes, this sharp film delivers several punchlines, raises issues about our society with graceful subtlety, and yet never loses its spunk.

Bhed Bakri Bhoot is set entirely inside a public toilet, seemingl...