Vijay Singh
Presented by Pony Verma, SUR is an intimate, honest short film that captures the quiet resilience, vulnerability, and emotional truth of an artist’s life beyond the spotlight.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 06: SUR, a poignant short film presented by renowned artist and choreographer Pony Verma, brings to the forefront a deeply human story that exists far beyond performance and applause. Produced by Mango Curry Films Pvt. Ltd., in association with Kings of Bollywood and WonKru, the film is directed by Abhay Chopra and produced by Shamshad Khan and Nilesh Nanaware, founders of Mango Curry Films, and Shivam Gupta.
Rooted in the everyday realities of Mumbai’s chawls and local trains, SUR follows the journey of Sandeep, a struggling singer whose relationship with music is not a choice, but a necessity. Living with his father a once-passionate painter now half-blind and defeated, Sandeep finds himself trapped between societal expectations and an inner calling that refuses to fade.
As the pressure to “earn a living” intensifies, Sandeep is repeatedly reminded of a brutal truth echoed around him: “Art se pet nahi bharta.” His father’s frustration peaks when he bans Sandeep from practising music and sells his harmonium, pushing the young artist into emotional isolation and despair. What follows is a quiet yet powerful exploration of dignity, validation, and the fragile moments that keep an artist alive.
Starring Dibyendu Bhattacharya and Roshann Rajesh Chauhan, SUR presents performances steeped in restraint and realism, mirroring lives shaped by compromise, suppressed dreams, and unspoken pain. The film gently blurs the line between survival and self-expression, asking whether art can ever truly be separated from identity.
Speaking about her association with the film, Pony Verma shared that SUR resonated with her on a deeply personal level. “What exists beyond the screen is the discipline, vulnerability, and quiet resilience that shape every honest story. Sur reflects this unseen world with rare authenticity; it understands the life of an artist, where music, movement, and emotion become a language of truth, not performance. Presenting Sur feels deeply personal to me, as it mirrors the artistic journeys I have witnessed around me, stories driven by conviction, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to craft. This film is a sincere tribute to the spirit of creation, which is why it holds such meaning for me.”
Sharing his vision behind the film, Director Abhay Chopra said, “SUR comes from lived spaces from Mumbai’s local trains, cramped chawls, unanswered auditions, and the quiet suffering artists carry every day. This film is not about success or recognition; it is about endurance. Sometimes, after years of struggle, all it takes is one small moment of validation to keep an artist alive. SUR is for every artist who continues to hold on, even when the world asks them to let go.”
At its core, SUR is not just a story of a father and son, it is a reflection of two artists broken by the same world, separated by time but bound by unfulfilled dreams. In its quiet final moments, the film leaves audiences with a lingering truth: art never truly dies, it survives in fragments, waiting to be heard.
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