There are abridged books and shorter versions of plays, so a Hindi movie that is over two hours long can surely be summarised in 15 minutes.
The YouTube channel 15 Min Movies has been achieving the impossible since 2009. Aimed at the mobile phone audience, and more relevant now than before in an age of smartphones, the internet channel boils down popular Hindi film titles into key scenes and songs. The arthouse films of Shyam Benegal, such as Ankur (1974), Nishant (1975), and Mandi (1983), share a platform with lesser-known titles like College Campus (2011) and Ladies Tailor (2006). The list includes Disco Dancer (1982), Khal-Naaikaa (1993), Aankhen (2002), Deewar (2004) and Dedh Ishqiya (2014). Despite the catchy label, some edits extend to 19 minutes.
Shemaroo Entertainment has the rights to the movies, and it also obliges viewers who might want to see a film after being piqued by the 15-minute version by uplinking complete versions. Surfers have the option of watching the entire movie or the on-the-go versions without any subscription fee involved. The shorter versions work as extended trailers. They follow the basic plot through the three-act structure and throw in key scenes and dialogue.
Some films benefit so beautifully from the edit that it is worth asking the cruel question: should they have been no longer than 15 minutes to begin with? Take the kidnapping drama Deadline: Sirf 24 Ghante (2006), starring Irrfan and Konkona Sen Sharma. The original 102-minute length has been trimmed down to 17 minutes and 57 seconds. Loud characters and hammy performances become bearable when pared down. The short version picks up pace and delivers what was sluggish in the original.
The 2015 adult comedy Hunterrr, centered on the life of sex addict Mandar Ponkshe (Gulshan Devaiah), is a perfect match for the format. Without beating around the bush, the short version captures all of Ponkshe’s romps and works as a dummy’s guide for needy nerds.
Some genres benefit from the snappy summary, such as suspense thrillers and horror films. Ram Gopal Varma’s Phoonk (2008), Agyaat (2009) and Bhoot Returns (2012) work well as mini-horror films. Comedies such as Housefull (2010), Golmaal (2006) and Masti (2004) are in any case compilations of comic sequences, and it is easy to isolate the best scenes and pack them into 15-minute versions.
However, the conceit is defeated by the musical and the historical. Hum Aapke Hai Koun…! (1994) featured 14 songs that took up 71 minutes of the original run time of 199 minutes . Even if the songs were to be stitched together to make a short version, the movie refuses to be reduced to 15 minutes. Neither can Mughal-E-Azam, which had 49 minutes of music in its duration of 197 minutes. Only 30 seconds of the iconic love song Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya features in the truncated version.
One of the titles on the YouTube channel sums it up: Mere Dost Picture Abhi Baki Hai (My friend, the film isn’t over yet, 2012).