7 Shot Film
Baby Fever was completed as part of the Intro to Films module in our fifth semester at SSLA. It was part of a broader interdisciplinary project that encouraged students to explore visual storytelling, directorial choices, and narrative pacing under production constraints.
Project Type
Short Film
Date
Jan-May 2025
Details
Name of Film: Baby Fever
Director: Sia Pandhare
Creative Producer: Ayush Mahadik
Cast & Crew: Rohan Kulkarni, Zainab Tungeker, Kabir Iyer, Anshula Mantena
Project Synopsis
Baby Fever is a short situational comedy that explores the intense emotional build-up around an unexpected pregnancy scare, only to end in sheer relief. Told through a humorous yet cinematic lens, the film follows a young man spiraling through imagined fatherhood until a single line from his partner—“I finally got my period!”—brings everything to a halt.
The narrative blends hyperbolic emotion with visual exaggeration, punctuated by expressive tracking shots and dramatic close-ups, culminating in a hilariously over-the-top celebration of relief. The film also features a stylized voiceover, playing off the overly sentimental tone often found in self-narrated drama.
Shot in accordance with a detailed 7-shot storyboard, Baby Fever was conceptualized, filmed, and edited as part of our final semester filmmaking project. It was created collaboratively by a six-member team from Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (SSLA), combining direction, performance, cinematography, and production design within a tight narrative framework.
Creative Intent
I wanted Baby Fever to take a moment of personal panic and transform it into something universally funny. The idea was to exaggerate a fleeting but relatable emotion—relief—and treat it with the kind of cinematic drama usually reserved for climactic endings in serious films. The tension is intentionally short-lived, yet stylized to parody coming-of-age or life-changing monologues. Through visual humor, minimal dialogue, and a satirical voiceover, the film challenges how we assign meaning and emotion to everyday events.
Production Notes
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The film was shot in a day using natural lighting and handheld camera movement to maintain intimacy and spontaneity.
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We used tight close-ups and slow pans to heighten emotion and build suspense, contrasting it with the comedic absurdity of the ending.
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The background score was curated to follow the emotional curve, starting with tension and peaking in euphoric irony.
Reception & Reflection
This project taught me how to balance comedic timing with strong visual storytelling. I learned how to work with actors on expressive micro-performances, especially in scenes with minimal dialogue. I also learned the value of a tight shot list and how limiting the number of shots can actually enhance creativity.