Dus Kahaniyaan has a few interesting short stories while the others seem vague, abstract and unmoving. On the whole the film is another attempt at making the Indian audiences accept the short story format. However what goes against the film is that all ten short stories have completely different themes and stories. There is no common ground that binds all ten stories together. There is a whole bunch of actors and directors that are responsible for bringing alive these ten different stories. However most of the stories have a dark, foreboding, abstract and vague nature which many Indian audiences may not enjoy. Moreover incorporating ten different short stories often do not let the audiences identify, sympathise or empathise with any one particular character for long. Also the execution by the different directors have different styles and hence each story has a different touch, the film has a stylish but dark look. Overall the content of few stories manage to entertain, but many are sheer disappointment.
The short story ‘Rice Plate’ stars Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah and is said to be an exact copy of the film ‘Lunch Date’. In ‘Rice Plate’, Shabana a Tamilian Hindu Brahmin woman mistakenly shares her lunch with a Muslim man, Naseeruddin. The short story is about one’s inherent beliefs and values and how they can change due to circumstances. Shabana and Naseer give a brilliant performance, however first time actor turned director Rohit Roy does not manage to portray the dilemma of the protagonists well so audiences are unable to empathise with them.
‘Sex On the Beach’- The short story rests on a thin script, with Dino Morea reading an old novel on the beach and the female character in the book coming alive. It is a fantasy coming alive, but one that is not portrayed convincingly by director Apoorva Lakhia. In fact it comes across as a story simply to promote some sex appeal with female debutant Tareena Patel exhibiting her assets to the maximum. Dino Morea is strictly average in his performance
‘Lovedale’- It is an average short story that stars Aftab Shivdasani and Neha Oberoi. It starts off with a vague concept of Neha having a chance encounter with a woman who wears only one earring. Debutant Jasmeet Dhodi is able to give this vague concept a direction where destiny and fate come to fore. Performances by Aftab and Neha are average.
‘Matrimony’- This short story is directed by Sanjay Gupta and stars Arbaaz Khan and Mandira Bedi. The story is about marriage and the aspect of fate and betrayal is well portrayed. The twists and turns that are seen towards the end is riveting and manage to take the audiences by surprise. Mandira gives a good performance while Arbaaz too is fine.
‘Gubbare’- This short story has been directed by Sanjay Gupta and stars Nana Patekar, Anita Hasnandani and Rohit Roy. It revolves around Anita who has a fight with her husband on the bus; she then sits besides a strange man on the bus who is holding 11 red balloons. This intrigues her and she wants to find out why he is holding these 11 red balloons. She then goes on a journey into the man’s past which teaches a valuable lesson at the end. An average story with a fairly average screenplay. Fine performances by Nana and Anita.
‘Pooranmashi’- A moving and fine story about a mother-daughter relationship between Amrita Singh and Minnisha Lamba. Meghna Gulzar directs this short story and she has a good hold over the proceedings, she brings to fore several touching emotional moments. Amrita’s daughter is about to marry and she will do anything to make her happy, however an incident occurs that changes both their lives forever. The story has pathos and audiences can smpathise with the protagonists. Amrita gives a fine performance and Minnisha is average.
‘Strangers in the Night’- The short story directed by Sanjay Gupta has a dark concept and is about a married couple Neha Dhupia and Mahesh Manjrekar who celebrate their anniversary by telling each other a secret about themselves. This year Neha tells her husband about an interesting encounter with a stranger at the railway station waiting room. The story does have a lot of twists and turns, but seems a bit strange due to the end. It is strictly okay. Neha does a good job and Mahesh is okay.
‘High on the Highway’- Hansal Mehta directs this one which rests on an extremely thin plot. The screenplay too is lacking. The story is of two lover’s journey on a highway with several ups and downs which symbolizes their relationship. It is executed in an extremely vague style and leaves the audience confused as to the point the story is trying to make. A dark story again with too much of abstractness. Performances by Jimmy Shergill and Masumeh are not up to the mark.
‘Zahir’- Sanjay Gupta directs this one which again has a slightly dark appeal, but nonetheless it is interesting. It has a brilliant twist that takes you by surprise. The end is indeed shocking and takes one by surprise. The script and screenplay are handled well. Dia Mirza gives a good performance and so does Manoj Bajpai.
‘Rise and Fall’- This short story directed by Sanjay Gupta and Hansal Mehta is extremely weak although it stars two top notch bollywood actors Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty. The story is itself confusing and one is unable to depict what exactly is happening. The look is also dark adding to the confusion of the story. It is about two friends Suniel and Sanjay who are gangsters and their rise and fall in friendship. Too much of action and also the dialogues are often inaudible.
This is not the first time the short story format has been done; nonetheless t has still not become extremely popular with audiences. In Dus Kahaniyaan, all ten short stories have different themes and concepts with no single binding factor and this may not give the audiences a common link to associate the film with. Also most of the ten short stories have a slightly dark or vague or abstract concept which makes the audience want to stay way from it. Some of the stories have a social message, but the manner in which it is presented is vague and not clear cut. The different styles of different directors can be a plus point but also is a minus as the execution style in the entire film is not the same thus often leaving the viewer confused and exasperated with having to adjust to different styles.
The pace of the film also varies in all ten stories, while in some the pace is brisk in others it seems like nothing poignant is taking place. The look of the film is stylish but also dark at several places. The choice of stories are not mass appealing but cater more to a niche segment. The cinematography is average, music is good and performances by most of the actors comes across as average and is good. Editing is fine and keeps the length of the film in check.
The script of the short stories could have been less dark, the screenplay and execution is average in most. Matrimony, Pooranmashi, Gubbare and Zahir come across as average short stories, while the remaining are forgettable. The performances are average but none of the actors are able to stand out due to its huge cast. Overall it may appeal to a certain segment of audiences who find dark cinema appealing. Dus Kahaniyaan comes across as merely an average film.
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| Reviewed By: Rachel Fernandes |
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