REVIEW: Dus Kahaniyaan

What the film is all about

For once Sanjay Gupta is right or we can say the vision of six directors has created a nice piece of work. Grand in scale and meticulously packaged, Dus Kahaniyaan will definitely draw the audience to the theatres at least once. The film boasts of an extraordinary ensemble cast. An amalgamation of romance, sex, drama, emotion and action, Gupta has made sure to spice it up with every ingredient possible to make the film run at the box office. Now it is up to the audience to pick their favourites from the entire spread. Each film has a twist in the tale.

What we liked about the film (s)

Actually quite a few stories are worth a mention. To watch Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah coming together after years in Rice Plate is sheer delight. Gubbare starring Nana Patekar, Anita Hasnandani and Rohit Roy, Pooranmashi, starring Amrita Singh, Minisha Lamba and Parmeet Sethi stand out from the rest with their poignant story lines and performances. While Rice Plate is a sensitive story that revolves around a Hindu woman fighting over a rice plate with a Muslim man, Gubbare sees Nana Patekar giving one of his touching performances that makes you cry and smile at the same time. The story written by Gulzar unfolds as a journey within a journey into this man's past uncovering the key to one of the most important lessons in life. Directed my Meghna Gulzar, Pooranmashi dwells on mother-daughter bond which has been adapted from Kartar Singh Duggal's short story. The stylized camerawork in Rise and Fall starring Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty reminds us of Sanjay Gupta's Kaante. It is a story about two gangsters, their friendship and subsequent betrayal. High On The Highway also holds interest to some extent.

What we didn't like

A few stories in the film were too predictable like Matrimony, which tells us about the 'happily married' Sarin couple who apparently have no differences in lives. Living in their paradise the devoted wife goes and meets her ailing aunt every Thursday. But is she really meeting her aunt? A story about love and betrayal, it talks about how we fail to understand a person even after years of togetherness. Sex On The Beach directed by Apoorva Lakhia was perhaps worst of the lot. The story sees Dino Morea picking up a worn book on the beach and the character in the book comes alive in the shape of a lovely woman who has big surprise in store for him… The story has no logic or reason. Lakhia could have surely done with some other interesting plot. Tareena Patel and Dino looked rather funny in the end. Strangers In The Night too seemed rather weird where a couple makes it a point to confess one secret of their lives to each other. This year it was wife Neha Dhupia's turn. She begins narrating an interesting encounter with a stranger at the railway station waiting room. From there is revealed a secret that changes their lives. Although Neha oozes sex appeal, her performance could have been better.

Verdict: Watch it for its commendable cinematography and stylised packaging.

Rating: 2.5/ 5