Gilbert Hill in Mumbai can never be confused with Malabar Hill, Pali Hill, or even Antop Hill. In fact, it is barely a hill, but a monument to rampaging encroachment and environmental degradation. The black basalt monolith, which is said to measure 200 feet, has been dated by geologists to the Mesozic era – which means that the mass was formed sometime between 66 and 225 million years ago. Even as attempts have been made to grant the structure heritage status and protect its volcanic rock, illegal constructions and slums have risen up around it, while builders have repeatedly tried to break down the hill.
Gilbert, Omar Iyer’s nearly seven-minute-long short film starts with the facts about Gilbert Hill’s history and soon shifts into fantasy. Mysterious, and possibly extra-terrestrial, lights, have been hovering over the hill for months, and news channels cannot get enough of them. Could they be aliens, and do they mean harm? The smart idea, with a conservation message tucked into it, is executed as efficiently as possible within a floor-level budget. The short was screened in the Dimensions section at the Mumbai Film Festival.