When veteran actor Boman Irani launched his writing initiative Spiral Bound during the pandemic, it became a creative refuge for emerging storytellers. Among the earliest voices to bloom in that space was Palak Malav Shah, a promising writer now carving her own niche with an inimitable blend of emotional honesty and wry humour.
Palak’s latest work is the short film Momo Deal, directed by Dheeraj Jindal, and starring Anushka Kaushik and Akashdeep Arora. The tender, witty narrative follows Naman, a quiet young man coping with the sudden loss of his best friend Mahima — until her ghost returns for one night in Jaipur to share one last plate of momos, turning grief into moments of unexpected laughter.
At its special premiere of the film, Boman Irani and members of the Spiral Bound writing community turned up in full support. Sharing his thoughts after watching the short film, Boman Irani said, "It’s truly heartening to see so many of us Spiral Bounders here today, supporting each other and that, for me, is one of the most heartnening things. I’m very proud to be here. As for Momo Deal, in just 13 minutes, Palak managed to capture exactly what life is all about — beyond friendships, relationships, and yes, even momos sneaking into the middle of it all. She’s woven metaphor, friendship, love, and the very philosophy of life and existence into this short film. I couldn’t be prouder.”
Writer Palak Shah shares, “Momo Deal was written at a time when my longer scripts were caught in endless cycles of approvals and feedback. I missed the joy of seeing words come alive on screen. So I wrote something small, intimate, and real. No twists, no stunts — just truth,” The film has already travelled internationally, being an official selection at the Garofano Rosso Film Festival in Italy, the Accra Indie Filmfest in Ghana, and more. . She is currently developing a feature with Divyang Thakkar (Director, Jayeshbhai Jordaar), a Netflix-commissioned drama with Balaji Telefilms, and another feature with a leading female filmmaker.