‘Once Upon a Time in Londongrad’ explores mysterious deaths in the city.“The only way is through tears.” Specifically those shed by the character of Sui. “There’s so much hate right now that I think a sentimental or emotional approach is the only way left for me to reach people who are full of hatred,” Bharadwaj continues, speaking more generally now. “I wanted to subtly get the message across that we have to be open to other faith and people and, as a society, embrace everyone around us. “I think they should be able to see it beyond country or culture,” he says. When asked how he hopes audiences will receive the characters of his short against this backdrop, Bharadwaj is optimistic. Amid rising tensions between the neighbouring countries, some members of India’s shrinking Indo-Chinese community told NPR they feared persecution “because of our yellow skin”. Then, in June 2020, violent clashes broke out between India and China along their 2,000-mile-long, poorly defined and long-disputed border in a remote area called the Galwan Valley. After the Covid-19 virus forced India into nationwide lockdown in March two years ago, many blamed China for the origin of the virus, criticising its lack of transparency over the crisis.
