Ankahi Kahaniya
Hindi (Anthology/Netflix)
Director: Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, Abhishek Chaubey, Saket Chaudhary
Cast: Abhishek Banerjee, Rinku Rajguru, Nandu, Kunal Kapoor, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 3/5
'Ankahi Kahaniya', the three-film anthology, begins with Ashwini Iyer Tiwari's film. We all walk past mannequins in shops without even giving them a second look. Pradeep Lahoria (Abhishek Banerjee), a salesman, is different as he gets attracted to a female mannequin.
It's a crazy premise but in a crazy city like Mumbai, where you don't have time for anyone, talking to yourself and feeling lonely can feel normal. Loneliness drives Pradeep to find a unique partner.
Abhishek Banerjee is brilliant. Even after the film has lost its charm, he keeps you invested in it with his earnest performance. And we might perhaps never look at a mannequin in the same way again.
Abhishek Chaubey's film is based on veteran Kannada poet and writer Jayanth Kaikini's story 'Madhyantara'. It's set in the dingy chawls of Mumbai. Manjari (Rinku Rajguru) is a film buff while Nandu (Delzad Hiwale), works in a nearby theatre, changing reels and selling samosas.
Both dream of a starry life seen on the screen daily and want to break free of their suffocated life. It's a simple yet poignant tale with lot of importance given to silence. Chaubey, helped by fine performances, masterfully directs this tale that is of hope and dreams, two characters typical of the city.
Saket Chaudhary's short, in contrast, is about upper class people dealing with relationship issues. Kunal Kapoor and Zoya Hussain play two individuals who find out that their respective spouses are having an affair with each other.
They try to find out what went wrong in their marriages and the film plays out predictably. Zoya's earnestness is the highlight. To its credit though, it has the best ending compared to the other two films.