Tindey review: An endearing film about encounters in the dating world

Directed and written by Seema Desai, Tindey is a charming portrait of an inoffensive middle-aged man who takes the dive into the world of dating apps without fully understanding the implications of his actions.

Kranti (Rajesh Sharma) has a monotonous married life and works in a government office, making Aadhaar cards. His wife (Ashwini Kalsekar) and he are a typical bickering couple that is too consumed by the everyday task of living to even think of romance. One day, his colleague introduces him to a dating app, Tindey, and he is mesmerised by the world of possibilities that lies before him. Despite the initial hesitation at the prospect of cheating on his wife, he nonetheless right clicks on the app with gusto, waiting to see what happens next.

As luck would have it, he meets a match. Molly (Adah Sharma), a young, free-spirited girl, and they start dating. However, there is more to her than meets the eye and Kranti cannot shed his avuncular personality despite the fact that they are supposed to be dating!  

Refreshingly, the film provides a glimpse into the world of dating apps that is not often seen and is a reflection on it. Molly comments on it being a constructed world, where one usually meets fake people and so is non-plussed about Kranti hiding certain facts from her. From Kranti’s perspective too, it is a fascinating world that allows access into a space that he is far removed from. 

The ending is a bit staged and slightly jarring with some bits left unexplained. Similarly, the character of Molly is a bit uneven. I wish we got to see more of the wife as her character could have been more fleshed out as well. The production design brings Kranti's simple world alive and the music by Saurabh-Durgesh complements the action very well. All the performances work well but Rajesh Sharma stands out as his character's trepidation and anxieties are made relatable.

Rajesh Sharma was awarded the Best Male Actor in the Filmfare Short Film Awards 2020.

You can watch the film here: