The Acid Test

Shot in two and a half hours,the film has only one location,the Krishna Hotel,off Law College Road,and there are only two actors,named Boy and Girl respectively. The film opens with the boy inviting the girl to the hotel as he wishes to discuss something. She promptly agrees. “It is evident from this fact that they have known each other for sometime as friends,” says Manish Gandhi who has played the lead in the story. Over the course of the conversation,the boy professes his love for her again – something that she has rebuked and rebuffed him for in the past. She turns down his proposal again,maintaining that they are best friends.

“It is here that my character gets a vial of liquid and starts reading a note about HCL (Hydrochloric acid) and how it damages skin tissue within three seconds of falling on it,” says Gandhi. “The girl assumes that the boy is going to throw the acid on her,and she has a sudden change of heart wherein she accepts the proposal.”

Gandhi also explains that the girl has been rejecting his advances owing to the fact that he hails from a lower middle class family and she from an affluent one. The boy meanwhile reveals that the vial contained water and not acid. Aghast at the prank,the girl slaps him saying that he will never be able to accept rejection and starts walking away. This is when the boy splashes the contents of the vial on her face,whilst counting up to three,as the credits roll. “We left the ending open-ended as we want the audiences to think for themselves,” says Vasu. Shot with a minimalist budget of Rs 200 and a crew of five,the film might soon see a sequel. “In fact,I would make a prequel too and reveal some more about the story of the two characters. But this is still in the ‘decision’ phase,” he says.