A 2020 Hindi language anthology film. It has 7 short stories with a slice of life. A flavour of its own. One can easily identify with them. Popular stars like Neena Gupta, Swaroop Sampat, Divya dutta, Sanjay Kapoor & others.
‘Chhaju Ke Dahi Bhalle’ deals with ‘Online Dating’. The young pair is so excited to be chatting online, they decide to meet. He is a sikh & she is a muslim. The meeting point is the ‘Chaat’ stall. What happens … do they meet? Best to see for yourself!
‘Nano So phobia’ is about confusion in old age. Swaroop sampat is an old parsi lady. She is watching TV but is living in the past. Suddenly inquires about her grandchildren as the show had a small boy. She encounters a short man who tries to rob her. She rushes to the security but later deals with the problem herself.
Sleeping Partner is about marital rape. An issue normally swept under the carpet is led into the open. Divya Dutta has an abusive marriage. She is enduring her injuries. Then she meets with another man. How she changes her life is just beautiful to watch!
Pinni , the story of the mother making sweets for her child who is far away. She couriers the box. The preparation is the motivation in her life. A mother is expected to do a lot but gets nothing in return! I was reminded of SriDevi in ‘English Vinglish’ making ladoos. It is the very tangible expression of love that a mother lavishes on her family, children particularly. The reason why the halwai can never imitate the taste of the home made goodies. As always Neena Gupta fits the role like a glove. She can be anybody’s mother.
Sunny side up is a story of a doctor who works in the oncology dept. She is ambitious, no nonsense & extremely confident. She can’t stand the patient’s relative weeping. She has got so many text messages from her husband but it is impossible for her to be free to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Things change when she gets reports of Veer & she faces the trauma first hand. The change in her attitude is remarkable.
Swaaha is a story of a couple who fight over the affair of the wife. The husband overhears two men talking about the husband being cheated. He concludes that his wife is deceiving him. He wants to know who! But she denies & being drunk says one of their three children is not his! All hell breaks loose.
Thappad is the story of a young school going boy who goes to school with his elder sister. The lonely path has three boys from her class waiting to give a chit. The boy gets it. He has to be the postman now. But he crushes it & decides to teach them a lesson. It is Valentine’s day. The boy is prepared with a red rose & a card. The smaller boy makes his sister practice a resounding slap, then tells her to wait for his signal. As the slap lands on the cheek, the bullies take a step back & the triumphant duo sail through.
Agreed a slap will not be enough but to stand on one’s feet, to have courage to face the situation, to garner confidence is required. Short & sweet the boy & the girl continue to walk their usual path.
The duration of every story is short & in minimum time the impact is exactly as we expect. Good viewing. A sharp editing would have helped. A few unnecessary scenes if cut could have helped with the impact.
Asian Entertainment 