I must confess at the outset that I have a partiality towards
anthologies and when I knew that this anthology is based upon Satyajit Ray’s
work, it pumped me all the more. I was really excited to see this one, though I
must confess to never having seen or read any of the featured stories in this
anthology.
In an ascending order my recommendation is for you to watch
as follows:
1-Forget me Not- A crisp telling of man who gets his comeuppance
by some serious psychological manoeuvring. It calls to mind the stories of
Alfred Hitchcock and the twists in the tale that Agatha Christie used to
deliver. This story also very smartly references Drishyam and its shrewd protagonist.
Ali Fazal as always, hits it above his pay grade and I so
glad to see that via the OTT, talent like his gets a space. Shweta Basu is ok
and she hasn’t much space to perform. Watch this one for the sheer force of Ali
Fazal, who gets the Bangalore accent bang-on.
2-Bahurupi – This one is a serious mindf&**&k and though
as a lover of suspense, I liked the way things get wrapped up, overall, the
experience was non-immersive, in spite of Kay Kay Menon. My problem was that though
the metrics were all perfect I just could not empathise with the main character,
and in the absence of that bond, the entire experience was just plain creepy.
3-Spotlight – I know what I am about to say is not a very
popular opinion, but I kind of like Harshvardhan Kapoor and I do feel that
sooner or later he will get his just dues. Before you feel a giggly sneeze coming
on, at this statement of mine, I recommend that you watch him in Bhavesh Joshi
and also see his nuances in the Meta AK vs AK. In this one, he gets a lot of
solo screen time and believe me you, he handles it really well and that isn’t an
easy task. The talented Ms. Radhika Madan is a delight and the riff between the
two is a thing of beauty. I enjoyed it, and I think you might too.
4-Hungama - Well! If you decide the entire anthology might not
be your cup of tea then, I do whole heartedly recommend you watching this one
compulsorily. The direction and the camera angles are weirdly wonderful and
they draw out the quirkiness of the story and the protagonists so well. Manoj
Bajpayee and Gajraj Rao in a “hum tum ik kamre band hon”, kind of situation and
hitting it off so well. It’s a ghazal of its own. Throw in an overture of
Raghuveer Yadav and Manoj Pahwa doing their thing and what you have is a
symphony, created by the director Abhishek Chaubey, which will have you grinning
away long after you have stopped watching. The end will certainly have you
exclaiming “Ye kya that?” And, then recounting the characters and their foibles
and then thinking well the world is a wonderful place only because of the quirky
characters and not because of the recluses.
Happy viewing!
Let me know what you thought of the anthology.
Love and peace.
#Miniasreviews
#AllLivesMatter
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