Ajeeb Daastaans has few highs and some lows with great performances throughout. 'Ajeeb Daastaans' Review: A Mixed Anthology Bag With the Breezy and the Heavy Handed. Another pair of brilliant performances powers Ankahee, directed by Kayoze Irani from a script by Uzma Khan and Sumit Saxena. Konkona Sensharma and Aditi Rao Hydari in Neeraj Ghaywan's Geeli Pucchi. Leaving aside the predictability of the stories, Ajeeb Daastaans is a good watch, says Prateek Sur. Released on April 16 on Netflix, Ajeeb Daastaans is an anthology of four short films. In Ajeeb Daastaans, the uncle pushing his way into an already-full elevator is one of his many proteges, Shashank Khaitan. Ajeeb Dastaans is an anthology of four films that do not revolve around any common theme. 1.5. More than moral transgressions and desperate emotional lunges, the anthology explores lacerating social disjunctions that play out in surprising, sometimes shocking, ways. We serve personalized stories based on the selected city. But life has a way of springing ajeeb surprises. It’s Lipakshi’s (Fatima Sana Shaikh) wedding day. I liked all four shorts, but the last two were a cut above the rest. Ajeeb Daastaans review: A couple of films shine in this ambitious anthology. But do all tales of marriages marred and relationships ruined make for twisted narratives that are uniformly engaging? AJEEB DAASTAANS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT? Movie Reviews. Hurt and healing are also parts of the life of Natasha's daughter Samaira (Sara Arjun). She, the only woman on the factory floor, has her sights set on the data operator's job. Other than Majnu none of the story creates the excitement in veiwers. They all overlap to create a collage of challenges that operate compositely even as each singly impacts choices and compulsions. Shefali Shah as an unhappily married mother of a girl who is losing her hearing and Manav Kaul in the role of deaf-mute photographer with whom she develops a bond make this a memorable acting duet. Ajeeb Daastaans is a rare film coming out of mainstream Bollywood that looks at love as anything beyond a sacrosanct sentiment. Ajeeb Daastaans Review. The anthology explores complex human emotions and relationships Nearly three quarters of an hour long, Geeli Pucchi delves deep into the workings of social biases that inflect the multiplicity of identities, some overt and easy to grasp, others obscured and hard to work one's way around, of the two women, co-workers in a factory. In Ajeeb Daastaans, produced by Dharmatic Entertainment for Netflix, they do not. The four shorts juxtapose poignant penetrating ideas – … The other two strive hard to keep up and that is about it. Despite Ahlawat and Shaikh's best efforts to up the ante and give the story some heft, the film falls way short of the crooked tangents it seeks. Ghaywan’s story is also, perhaps, the most refreshing of the four. The Gist: Ajeeb Daastaans opens with “Lover,” directed by Shashank Kaitan. Acting: Direction: Music: Story: Sonal Pandya . Review of Ajeeb Daastaans . Ajeeb Daastaans Review: Neeraj Ghaywan, Kayoze Irani Stand Out In This Anthology Of Love, Deceit And Everything In Between. It examines small-town power structures rooted in political strategies and social traditions but neither the structures, environs or the traditions are captured vividly enough. It is about a feckless Barabanki strongman (Jaideep Ahlawat) who give in to his father's diktat and marries a powerful Hardoi politician's daughter (Fatima Sana Shaikh). Her dangerous liaisons lead to complications that hinge not only on the husband's indignation and jealousy but also on a history of violence that binds him to a young hunk (Armaan Ralhan) who does his bit to queer the pitch for the couple. His film is the weakest of the four, and I'm not sure how wise it … … Bharti (Sensharma) is a Dalit "machine man" in a chemical plant. Shashank Khaitan, Raj Mehta, Neeraj Ghaywan and Kayoze Irani make up the directors’ roundtable. Thus begins a process of negotiations between the tough Bharti (who has seen much more of life) and the laidback Priya (who would much rather cling to her past) - where they come from and who and what they are as persons determine their approaches to each other and to the challenges that emanate from the realities around them. Ajeeb Daastaans Review: A still from Manju. Here's when Henry Cavill’s The Witcher season 2 will release, 'Secret Invasion': Emilia Clarke confirms she has joined the cast of upcoming Marvel series, 'WandaVision', 'The Boys', 'The Flash': Superhero web series that go beyond saving the world. Name: Ajeeb Daastaans Star Cast: Fatima Sana Shaikh, Jaideep Ahlawat, Konkona Sen Sharama, Aditi Rao Hydari, Shefali Shah, Manav Kaul, Nushrat Bharucha, Abhish . Ajeeb Daastaans review: Engaging tales of heartbreak and betrayal Release Date: 16 Apr 2021. Add Comment. Follow our special coverage of Assembly Elections 2021 and get fastest results on ndtv.com/elections. Ajeeb Daastaans portrays such stories of lust, lost love, revenge, and confusion in a subtle and realistic manner. Review: 'Ajeeb Daastaans' Finds Its Saviour in Neeraj Ghaywan . Shefali, konkana n aditi acts seamlessly as fish takes it to water. Movie Review: Ajeeb Daastaans Bollywood News: Latest Bollywood News, Bollywood News Today, Bollywood Celebrity News, Breaking News, Celeb … The end of the film is meant to be unsettling but all that it manages to be is contrived because it emanates from a stray, innocuous remark that Meenal makes to her precocious young sister when the latter asks her whether she planning to make a baby with Sushil. Tanisha Bagchi. Ajeeb Daastaans review: The best film comes from Neeraj Ghaywan, one of the most exciting young voices working in Bollywood today, and Kayoze Irani. Majnu does not. Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. The film is streaming on Netflix. Khilauna resorts in the main to broad strokes, opting for the easiest methods to highlight the yawning gap between the powerful and the servants they employ. admin. Ajeeb Daastaans … Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. Oscar-winner Olivia Colman in talks to join Marvel's 'Secret Invasion', Exclusive Interview! The unnamed photographer, in contrast, says that he hears Natasha's voice "with my mind". The new secretary of the residents' association (Maneesh Verma), who does not take kindly to the dalliance, exploits the maidservant's vulnerability when her illegal electricity connection is discontinued, a literal representation of her lack of power over her own life and the people whom she serves. 3.5. The four stories depicted in this anthology represent the different facets of our modernised community, the ever-changing idea of love and some of the age-old biases that the society is still plagued with. Shouldn't be missed!!! Neither this conversation nor the appalling act that it leads to serves the film's avowed purpose of elucidating the dynamics of the class divide. Netflix's latest anthology may be dismissed as a case of one too many but for Ghaywan's absolutely brilliant take on the many divides that marginalised women have to reckon with: of gender, of caste, of class, of sexuality, of familial roles. Your subscription is confirmed for latest news across Entertainment, Television and Lifestyle newsletters. Another of the films - Kayoze Irani's Ankahee - is neatly crafted and exquisitely acted. The other outstanding performance in Ajeeb Daastaans comes from Kaul who follows up his recent genius in Nail Polish with the charm and poignance he brings to Kabir. The end of the film is meant to be unsettling but all that it manages to be is contrived because it emanates from … Author: Subhash K Jha. Grow up! Ajeeb Daastaans comprises four short stories and these tell the tale of five women. Ajeeb Daastaans Review: All stories from Nusrat Bharucha’s Khaloun to Konkona Sen Sharma’s Gilli Poonch, from Karan Johar’s Netflix anthology to the worst in the rankings (latest special) April 16, 2021. Get email alerts for your favourite author. Ajeeb Daastaans Review: A still from Geeli Pucchi. Sumer Singh Case Files: Girlfriends Review, Terms of Use and Grievance Redressal Policy. The results are uneven as much for the fictional characters on the screen as for the anthology as a whole. You cannot take your eyes off the screen, or let your ears wander, as you hang on to every line that the two actresses deliver and every gesture that they make. 4 Min Read. ‘Ajeeb Daastaans’ & the four shorts formula Complex themes such as sexuality and casteism are explored quite boldly, with the film trying to actively comment on … Some hit the bull's eye, others, not so much. You can change your city from here. A young woman Meenal (Nushrat Bharuccha) works in middle-class homes to pay for the education of her kid sister Binny (Inayat Verma). The girl, speaking sign language, asks her mom: "Will I be loved?". Pallabi Dey Purkayastha, TNN, Updated: Apr 18, 2021, 09.33 PM IST. Ajeeb Daastaans(Netflix) Starring Jaideep Ahlawat, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Konkona Sen Sharma, Nusrat Bharucha,Abhishek Bannerjee, Inayat Verma, Shefali Shah, Pavan Kaul. Not all the four stories it tells are as startling as they want to be, but Ajeeb Daastaans is elevated several notches by Ghaywan's subtly stinging short film. Mumbai, 16 Apr 2021 13:00 IST. Let's work together to keep the conversation civil. Sensitive and simple, Ankahee says a lot about what goes on in a marriage rendered unstable by a twist of fate - and in hearts that find love that seems purer and truer than anything else in the world. Ajeeb Daastaans Review: A promotional poster of the anthology. April 16, 2021. The understandably shocked young lady gathers herself soon enough and begins to look for love elsewhere. Perfect concoction of short stories with an element of suspense which makes it a worth watch. Ajeeb Daastaans is more a continuation of Paava Kadhaigal (Tamil) and Pitta Kathalu (Telugu), Netflix originals both, than of the earlier Hindi-language Lust Stories and Ghost Stories, which are also on the streaming platform. Review Hindi. Ajeeb Daastaans Review: Three Shorts and a Neeraj Ghaywan Masterclass BY Aditya Shrikrishna On April 16, 2021 In Ajeeb Daastaans, the new Netflix anthology, there is always an offspring. The disconnect between Geeli Pucchi, crafted brilliantly by Neeraj Ghaywan with a script written by him with Sumit Saxena, and the rest of Ajeeb Daastaans is stark. Following Rege-Jean Page's exit from 'Bridgerton', Charithra Chandran joins Simone Ashley for season two. Ajeeb Daastaans portrays people recoiling from rejection, seeking fresh beginnings, retreating to familiar routines or tilting at difficult-to-bridge divides to construct a foundation for elusive happiness. Did you know 'Bridgerton' has an interesting connection with Kim Kardashian? They negotiate the complex process of understanding each other's entitlements and deprivations. The film explores some issues very relevant to our society, especially Neeraj Ghaywan’s story Geeli Pucchi, starring Aditi Rao Hydari and Konkona Sen Sharma. It is nice to see Hydari in a speaking role that taps her talents after such a long time. Ajeeb Daastaans Review: A still from Ankahee. Written by Shubhra Gupta. The Netflix Indian market appears to have strength in short films — only recently we were treated to Pitta Kathalu. Ajeeb Daastaans Review: An emotional ride but not without the bumps; Konkona & Aditi’s segment stands out.