Dus Kahaniyaan- shorts in a huge story.

 

New Age Bollywood finds a new idiom: Dus Kahaniyaan,the short story genre which manages to work well for the new age audience who likes everything in short doses. Hence, what's better than a compendium of short stories that offer you a pleasure akin to reading Roald Dahl. Before we dive into our review, we have found a free alternative for you to watch this movie. 

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And if the first story, Matrimony, is actually an adaptation of Dahl himself, be sure the tone is set at the very start. Mandira Bedi, a bored wife of a CEO, finds her moments of bliss in a weekly tryst with an army officer. Trouble begins when her lover leaves, after giving her an expensive gift which she must conceal from her husband, to keep the game of matrimony on 'play' mode. But who's playing with whom? Sit back for the sting in the tail…The twist in the tale, towards the end, comes as a bolt from the blue. Mandira is efficient, Arbaaz is able, Sudhanshu is perfect. Sanjay Gupta shows his expertise as a storyteller.

Love Dale: Neha meets a woman in the train who is wearing only one earring. She finds that strange and that chance meeting strikes the change in her life. A story about fate, destiny at play and the notion that one moment can change your entire life. Very identifiable, very true to life. Beautifully handled by debutante director Jasmeet Dhodi. Aftab and Neha are natural.

Pooranmasi: It's about the mother-daughter bond. A mother's only daughter is about to get married and she would do anything to make her daughter happy. But an incident changes their lives forever. A brilliant story beautifully handled by Meghna Gulzar. Amrita is topnotch, Minisha is okay. The end moves you!

Strangers in the Night: Every anniversary, they tell the other a secret; this year it's the wife's turn. She begins narrating an interesting encounter with a stranger at the railway station waiting room. What you perceive and what you eventually witness is a sharp contrast. Again, an outstanding story. Neha is first-rate, Mahesh okay. But what you carry home is the culmination. Sanjay Gupta handles the story with elan!

High on the Highway: The highway symbolised their companionship and their unspoken love. Its unpredictable and volatile turns define this story of two people, who discover the boundaries of freedom and the recklessness of life. Though interestingly handled by director Hansal Mehta, the story lacks meat. Jimmy and Masumeh are competent. Too dark, content-wise as well as visually. Overall, it wasn’t much fun. 

Zahir: 

After discovering something startling about his neighbour, a writer is driven to madness. The one step he takes gives this story it's required twist. Hits you like a ton of bricks. Manoj is superb, Dia is excellent. Sanjay Gupta shows that he can handle emotional moments with remarkable ease.

Rise and Fall: Two parallel stories run together to meet one end. It is a story about two gangsters, their friendship and subsequent betrayal. Very confusing, looks very theatrical and the action and the subsequent scene only add to the chaos. Gupta and Hansal concentrate more on technique instead of simplifying things. Both Sanju and Suniel are strictly okay.

Almost all the stories are deftly told, with the mandatory twist in the climax which keeps you riveted. Be it Shabana confronting her religious bigotry as she shares a rice plate with a bearded Naseer, an aging Amrita Singh rediscover her youth at the expense of her young daughter's happiness in Pooranmasi, Manoj Bajpai signing his own death warrant in Zahir, Neha Dhupia rescuing a kid from a band of murderous rioters, Nana Patekar sharing the secret of his eleven smiling balloons, Dino Morea discovering the truth about the jet ski seductress or Sanjay Dutt and Sunil Shetty externalising the Mumbai's gangsters' code in Rise and Fall, the stories are all geared to keep boredom at bay.