Priyanka Chopra Jonas has joined the team behind the Oscar-qualified Indian short film “We Were Here” as an executive producer. She comes on board alongside Andrew Scott and Tony-winning playwright V (formerly Eve Ensler) as the film moves into the Academy Awards campaign season. The 11-minute mockumentary, directed by Pranav Bhasin, follows three retired men in a small Indian town who protest against artificial intelligence by pretending to be household appliances.
The film has already built a strong reputation on the festival circuit, screening at more than 80 festivals and collecting over 20 awards. Its acquisition by The New Yorker for release on the magazine’s YouTube channels adds another major platform for global audiences to watch the story.
What the Film Is About
“We Were Here” is a comedy short set in a sleepy Indian town. Three retired men — Bagchi, Pimple and Ganguli — become convinced that machines are taking away human jobs. Their response is unusual: they launch a protest by posing as household appliances.
Bagchi paints himself silver and declares himself a dish antenna. His friends take on the roles of a car’s reverse camera and a microwave. The trio storms an appliance store, teaches smart devices the wrong names for things and shouts slogans out of car windows.
The story takes a sharp turn when one of their children lands a job at an artificial intelligence company. The son discovers that his father’s unusual war against technology may not have been as pointless as it first seemed.
“We Were Here started as a small, silly idea about three uncles trying to stop the spread of AI, and somewhere along the way, I fell in love with them, their friendships, and their stubborn resilience.” — Pranav Bhasin, writer-director
The Cast and Crew Behind the Short
The film stars Satish Kashyap, Devendra Dodke and Arindol Bagchi as the three retired men. Shubham Kujur, Kalpana Gagdekar and Yash Gonsai are also part of the cast.
Yash Gonsai produced the film through Sunshine Pictures, along with Dheer Momaya and Dar Gai. Aarti Lohia and SPLF Media present the project. The executive producer lineup includes Peter S. Kim and Nalini Sharma of Basement Video, Neha Kaul, Megha Kadakia, Priya Giri Desai and Shruti Ganguly of Prism Entertainment, Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Film Companion Studios, Anjula Acharia and Pan Nalin.
Devaiah Bopanna, Earlyman Film, Rahul Bharti, Supavitra Babul and Vaibhav Bundhoo are attached as co-producers. The film’s cinematographer is Rajiv Malu, with Pralay Valanju as editor and Yash Sahai handling music.
A Festival Run That Built Momentum
“We Were Here” began its journey at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France in February. It won the Canal+ Prize at the event, which is the largest short film festival in the world.
At SXSW, the film took home the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short and the Redbreast Unhidden Award. Andrew Scott had chosen the film for the Redbreast honour, and as part of the prize, he joined the project as an executive producer.
The film’s win at Palm Springs International ShortFest proved to be the turning point for its Oscar chances. It was named Best Live-Action Short Under 15 Minutes and Best Comedy Short. The first of those two wins made the film eligible for consideration at the Academy Awards.
“This film offers a refreshing, witty take on a subject that feels very timely. I jumped at the opportunity to come on board as an executive producer to amplify this creative team and ensure their brilliant, original vision gets the spotlight it deserves.” — Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Why She Joined
Priyanka Chopra Jonas described the film as a refreshing and witty take on a subject that has become increasingly relevant. She said she wanted to help the creative team reach a wider audience with their original vision.
Her decision to join the project adds star power to the film’s awards campaign. Chopra Jonas has been active as a producer across Indian and international projects, and her involvement brings additional attention to the short as it competes in the awards space.
Director Pranav Bhasin said it was surreal to have the support of established names like Chopra Jonas, Scott and V as the film moves into the awards season.
“As a young filmmaker, I find it pretty surreal to have a tribe of highly accomplished and committed EPs, including Andrew Scott, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and V. We’re all really excited to find creative ways to get this film to wider audiences.” — Pranav Bhasin
Andrew Scott and V Join the Producing Team
Andrew Scott, known for his roles in Fleabag and Sherlock, was already attached to the film as an executive producer before Chopra Jonas and V came on board. His connection to the project began through the Redbreast Unhidden Award at SXSW.
V, the Tony-winning activist and playwright formerly known as Eve Ensler, also joined as an executive producer. V is widely recognised for creating The Vagina Monologues, a play that became a global theatrical phenomenon.
The combined involvement of Chopra Jonas, Scott and V gives the short film a notable producing team as it enters the Oscar conversation.
Where to Watch ‘We Were Here’
The New Yorker has acquired “We Were Here” and will premiere it on the magazine’s official YouTube channels. The film appears in the publication’s Screening Room series under the headline “The Humans Are Coming for A.I.’s Jobs in ‘We Were Here.’”
The short runs for 11 minutes and is in English and Hindi. Its acquisition by The New Yorker marks a significant milestone for the film ahead of its awards-season campaign.
What Makes the Film Click With Audiences
The comedy works because it turns a serious fear into something absurd. The three retired men are not fighting robots with technology of their own. They are fighting machines by becoming machines themselves.
Bagchi becomes a dish antenna. His friends become a reverse camera and a microwave. The silliness of the plan hides a real worry that many people share: the fear of becoming unnecessary.
For older audiences in India, the film touches on something familiar. Retirement can strip away a person’s sense of purpose. The three men in the film refuse to accept that their useful years are over, even if their protest takes a ridiculous form.
The film also flips a common family pattern. The son who once helped his parents with their phones and banking apps now works at a tech company. The father who once needed help becomes the one waging a small war against the very industry his son has joined.
A Mumbai Director With a Track Record
Pranav Bhasin hails from Mumbai and was directing films by the age of 13. He made his first series for TVF by 17. His short “Wolf of Chawl Street” won the Silver Dimensions prize at the Mumbai Film Festival in 2017, and “New Year’s Eve” was named best short a year later.
His other work includes “Taylor’s Version” and “Screaming on the Fly.” His films have premiered at SXSW and on Mubi, Short of the Week and Vimeo Staff Picks. He is an alumnus of Vanishing Angle’s Short-to-Feature Lab (2020) and the Zurich Film Festival Academy (2022).
“In India, reality is often stranger than anything you could write, and the mockumentary format let me keep the film rooted in real people and real places, while exploring just how absurd things can get.” — Pranav Bhasin
The Oscar Path for a Short Film
The Academy Awards have a specific qualification process for short films. Winning Best Live-Action Short Under 15 Minutes at Palm Springs International ShortFest placed “We Were Here” on the list of films eligible for consideration in the Live Action Short Film category.
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The film’s festival wins and its acquisition by The New Yorker have raised its profile ahead of the awards season. The short is now moving forward with an expanded group of executive producers supporting its campaign.
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