India, Aug. 8 -- Adrija Sinha, Parul Rana, Preeti Kochar, and Saksham Raj

Truman Capote famously described short stories as "the most difficult and disciplining form of prose writing". I think the argument is valid because, unlike in a novel, in a short story, the writer has but a few pages to introduce the premise, hook readers, build the world, and deliver a conclusion (if any). It is a far more challenging thing to do in 20 pages than in 400. For the same reason, short films have also intrigued me far more than features. If a story can make me feel the right emotion in under half an hour, it's a job well done. Bobby Beauty Parlour passes that test beautifully. Shashwat Dwivedi's bittersweet ode to small-town aspirations and friendship...