Whereâs Urmilla? - When the Internet Stops Being Just Online
Is the impact of cyberbullying not real? Are those hate-filled comments we casually type out, just words floating on the internet?
Theyâre not. And they never were.
What begins online doesnât stay there. Sometimes it stays in someoneâs head long after the screenâs gone dark.
For queer and trans youth, often just trying to express themselves online, those words hit differently. âWhereâs Urmilla?â, a short film by Conscious Cut, directed by Rayyan Monkey, holds up a mirror to that truth in a way thatâs sharp and emotional without saying too much.
The film opens in a space full of joy and colour, but that feeling doesnât last. What starts out light quickly shifts, and through visuals alone, it shows how easily joy can be interrupted when youâre visibly queer online. The kind of hate you canât always report. The kind that sticks.
The weight of the film sits in the quiet moments that follow. The film leaves space to feel the emotions without spelling it out, reflecting the very real silence around cyberbullying, its impact on Trans/ Enby folks and the people weâve lost on the way.
This isnât fiction for dramaâs sake, itâs rooted in reality. From Pranshuâs tragic suicide after being bullied for wearing a saree in a reel, to everyday stories of queer youth receiving rape threats, being misgendered, or emotionally shattered by comment sections, âWhereâs Urmilla?â brings all of that into a frame we canât scroll past.
Created by
@rayyanmonkey (writer-director-producer), Prabhanshi Pandey, Akshit Bahri, Devna Das, and Bristisnata Dutta, the film stars
@glorious_luna ,
@boniiiiiiiiita ,
@wanda_a_hendricks , and
@46anerjee ; queer artists whose lived experiences lend rawness to every frame.
This film is a reminder that cyberbullying has real-world consequences. And that some people donât just log off, they disappear.
Watch the full film on YouTube [Link in our bio]
[short film, queer cinema, LGBTQIA+, cyberbullying, mental health, trans youth, Diwali, online hate, Conscious Cut, Rayyan Monkey]