A mixed bag anthology comprising of 5 short stories by five acclaimed directors and a fine set of actors, set in the tough covid-ridden times.
Plots
A cute & quirky futuristic love story between a hypochondriac and a corona warrior in the confines of virus-feared lifestyle.
A broken marital relationship amidst the ‘Me Too’ allegations against the husband and lessons of hope and life for the wife.
An out of work labourer stealing refuge for his family in a sample apartment of an uninhabited complex.
An introvert acrid lonely woman skeptically helping a young bubbly neighbour and gradually acceding to friendship.
A lonely aged wary woman, an auto driver away from his family and city discovering help, faith and solace.
Analysis
The best thing about the anthology is its positive central theme.
All the film makers, through different stories have tried to convey message of love amidst fear, hope amidst despair, instinct to survive, egging on to find moments of happiness even in misery, the magical effects of lending help, extending support and nurturing relationships.
Each story is bound to have different responses from different audience.
Chand Mubarak by Nitya Mehra was my most favourite (Ratna Shah, Shardul Bhardwaj). It has a beautiful emotional appeal. Both actors, especially Ratna Shah add “Char Chand” to it.
Apartment by Nikkhil Advani (Richa Chaddha, Sumeet Vyas, Ishwak Singh) was good. It maintains an intrigue factor and then strikes an emotional chord. Richa and Ishwak add charm by their performances.
Vishanu by Avinash Arun (Abhishek Banerjee, Geetika Ohlyan) was interesting.I find Geetika such a pleasure to watch. She adds a very natural vibrance and naiveté to her characters.
Rat-a-Tat by Tannishtha (Lillete Dubey, Rinku Rajguru) just about managed to hold fort primarily because of its actors.
Glitch by Raj & DK (Gulshan Devaiah, Saiyami Kher) is fancy, futuristic and supposedly amusing but failed to find my fancy.
On the whole the film could range from average to nice depending upon your palate for stories and cinema.
Though not very impressive,I found it worth the time for its fair engagement factor, fine set of actors and for the fact that it had its heart in the right place.