Cast: Chunky Pandey, Neena Gupta, Trimala Adhikari, Lalit Behl, Rahul Bagga, Kamil Shaikh, Delnaz Irani, Shahriyar Atai, Anurita Jha, Nishaant Bahl, Saurabh Goyal, Preeti Hansraj Sharma, Dheer Hira, Tushar Pandey, Veera Saxena, Merenla Imsong, Amit Sial
Directors: Heena D’souza, Sanjiv kishindani, Gaurav Mehra, avalokita Dutt, Hanish Kalia, Praveen fernandes
Rating: * * *
An anthology of short films by young fledgling directors mentored by established names, this thematic grouping of interesting stories is intriguing enough to whet your appetite for unusual films.
The sequestered narrative begins with ‘Tap Tap’ a film written by former film critic turned scriptwriter Gaurav Malani (and wife), directed by Praveen Fernandes which showcases Chunky Pandey as Kamal – a once successful Bollywood music director who is seeing hard times (singing in a dance bar for a living) and is now trying to rekindle his fading talents after getting a potential producer interested. How he manages to successfully navigate the downturn and realises a truth that hits him in the face makes for interesting viewing.
The second in the series, ‘Khauff’ directed by Hanish Kalia and mentored by Raj Kumar Gupta, about a disturbed young man’s interaction with his psychiatrist is interesting enough but seems quite implausible. The scary effects employed here do manage to get a rise at times. Adi Sonal directed by Heena D’souza and mentored by Vikramaditya Motwane is an ironic reworking of the Satyavan Savitri legend – set to a sindhi family in the midst of wedding preparations, dealing with death of the patriarch and a runaway daughter-in-law. While the setting is beautifully rendered the irony doesn’t quite hit you in the head.
‘Bhaskar Calling’ directed by Sanjiv Kishindani, mentored by Rajkumar Hirani, digs out situational humour from a salesman’s visit to a incapacitated Parsi gentleman’s home. The writing is light and humorous enough and the turn of events quite interesting. ‘Guddu’ like ‘Tap Tap’ is un-mentored. Directed by Gaurav Mehra, the narrative encapsulates a story of a bride who runs away from her marriage to meet her soul mate, against the set norms of the society. It has the right tone and tempo to keep you entertained.
‘Gutthi’ directed by Avalokita Dutt and mentored by Amit Masurkar is about two inseparable friends Avibu and Jaya- both aspiring filmmakers who want to make films that will change the world. This film has a meaningful and surprising endplay. All the films in this bouquet (save for Khauff) are believable and plausible enough to keep you intrigued and entertained.