A house made of Lego-like bricks doubles up as a metaphor for capitalism and income inequality in the short film Toyhouse. Directed by Akram Hassan, the film stars Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Swanand Kirkire, who has also written a poetry segment. Toyhouse can be streamed on the YouTube channel Large Short Films.
The film opens with Ayyub’s character, a security guard in Mumbai, holding a toy house while sitting on a park bench. The story unfolds through a conversation between him and a stranger played by Kirkire. Ayyub’s guard reveals that he was forced to take up work in the city after his land in his village was usurped by a toy factory. His daughter sees the glimmering billboard of the factory from a small window in their house every day, but the plastic joys it delivers are beyond her means. The symbollism-heavy film also touches upon themes of simplicity versus want and power structures in society.