The year is 1924. The backdrop pre-independent India. A young man is recruited for a secret operation and a child is caught in the crossroads. This is the premise of award-winning independent filmmaker Prataya Saha's latest short film, a city noir and dramatic thriller—1924: The Kakori Project.

In five minutes and with minimal dialogues, the film eloquently conveys the essence of the story. Prataya's attention to detail, from the costumes to the actors' performance, brings alive the time period. But what makes the film unique is that it brings an important perspective: Children caught in conflict.

1924 is a departure from Prataya's earlier films like Mein, Mehmood, Shonar Khacha etc. An experiment that works.

The only issue is the film ends too soon; disappointing the audience who are fully engaged and expecting more.

Director's viewpoint: Children have no agency

The impact of conflict on children is one of the prominent subtexts in the film. Prataya explains: "We tend to view war and conflict through the experiences of adults, focusing on those who are martyred or survive to tell their stories. But children are mostly caught in the crossfire. They have no agency, no choice in the matter, and are often left to navigate the consequences of decisions made by others. And I think the plight of children has been overlooked for far too long and for far too many times."

He adds that we are often so focused on looking at conflict from a macro perspective that the loss of human life becomes just another statistical number.

"Through this film, I wanted to shine a light on these silent sufferers, whose stories rarely make it into the historical narrative. A child's fate is too often determined by the forces around them, and that tragic reality is what I hoped to depict."

Children are often rendered vulnerable and powerless by the decisions made by adults during conflict. "Situations like loss of family, displacement or trauma change the fates of children forever without them being an active participant in any of the situations around them; they are like spectators watching helplessly as things unfold around them."