Bobby Beauty Parlour

The opening of Bobby Beauty Parlour is a charm offensive. The 19-minute short is dedicated to the loving memory of Cheese, one half of the talented acting duo Mac and Cheese, a pair of pretty-finned Siamese fighting fish that appear in the film (Cheese, presumably, died during or after the shoot). The voiceover that greets us immediately after is styled like an All India Radio weather broadcast, in prim, sonorous Hindi. “Aaj ka mausam kuch iss prakaar hai…” If the cuteness meter wasn’t already into the red, the colours on screen are in a gentle and lovable scheme: yellow, magenta, pink. This is a film that wants the audience in its corner, and wants it quick. It lulls you before you’ve met the primary characters or reached the titular setting.