She devotes her existence to her family; she throws away her aspirations to support those of her family and she does not object when her family holds her nose to the grindstone. But does all this mean she ceases to be herself? This is the empirical question that blemishes the life of Rimi, a classic Indian housewife. An ever-busy husband who does not have adequate time to realize her contributions to the family, a teenage son who feels it is her obligation to cater to his every whim and a daughter who is preoccupied in a world of her own are her family. One day, her daughter brings home a friend who triggers the dormant person who Rimi truly is. The simple act of going out into the rain and feeling the water droplets drench her changes something inside Rimi forever.
Rimi is a narrative short by Director Nischhal Sharma. In telling the story of a regular housewife, Nischhal effectively uses mundane everyday sequences like that of making tea to create the repetitive everyday tasks in Rimi’s world. She uses the sequence of events at the breakfast table one morning to flesh out all her characters and their inner trains in a single scene. The dexterity with which she introduces the catalyst, both as a person and as a visual element, into the story is sheer brilliance. Deepa Kiran, as Rimi, carries the entire weight of bringing to life the emotional turmoil of a mistreated housewife who discovers herself one rainy day, and her effortless performance brings alive the character in all its myriad dimensions.
Rimi is a tribute to the uncelebrated housewives of the world whose sacrifices go unrecognized by everybody, including their own household. This short film is also a wake-up cry for every housewife to not forget who they were and re-look at who they have turned into.
