Four interesting stories about ‘strange’ emotions

Ajeeb Daastans

Directors: Neeraj Ghaywan, Shashank Khaitan, Kayoze Irani

Cast: Konkana Sen Sharma, Shefali Shah

As the title suggests, the film tries to showcase strange stories. ‘Ajeeb Daastaans’ tells dramatic stories about love, revenge, betrayal.

The focus is on women characters — an unloved bride who looks to satiate her sexual and emotional desires (in 'Majnu'), a househelp who walks a tightrope between survival and exploitation in an upper middle-class locality (in 'Khilauna'), two employees of a factory stuck in the complexities of life (in 'Geeli Pucchi'), and a mother caught between her daughter who is going deaf and a husband too busy to care for her (in 'Ankahee').

Of the four stories, ‘Geeli Pucchi’ directed by Neeraj Ghaywan impresses the most. It talks about caste and gender politics. Kayoze Irani’s ‘Ankahee’ is the second best and makes the anthology watchable. The short is about a broken marriage and a new-found romance.

Konkona Sen Sharma makes the viewer love her and dislike her (in some bits). Shefali Shah’s flair makes the film a success.

Some scenes in the shorts stretch for no reason, perhaps aiming to emphasise the ‘strangeness’ of the stories and emotions.