The release of film Dus Kahaniyaan which’s a collection of 10 gripping stories directed by seven prolific directors reinstates the fact that the Indian film industry is presently going through a very significant evolutionary phase. At no point of time ever before one witnessed in India the making of as wide a genre of movies as in the present scenario and conceptualizing a movie like Dus Kahaniyaan only indicates the bright future lying ahead for the industry.        

 

The film begins with the story Matrimony that stars Arbaaz Khan, Mandira Bedi and Sudhanshu Pandey in it. Mandira and Arbaaz have been married for five years. With no kids and happiness, Mandira gets involved in an extra-marital affair and messes up life. The story gets a fair treatment with no unnecessary frills and song-dance sequences and the performances are pretty realistic. What keeps you glued is the fact that since there are so many actors donning different roles, the movie becomes a potpourri of performances, ranging from average to mind-blowing.

 

Rice Plate in Dus Kahaniyaan features veteran actors Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah. Shabana plays an orthodox Tamil Brahmin, whereas Naseeruddin plays a Muslim man. This story is about a life-changing tryst between these two strangers from totally different cultural zones. It is good to see Shabana Azmi in a hyperactive role and Nana Patekar has just the apt expressions. Both put up interesting performances and can easily be called as a winner among the ten stories.

 

Lovedale, on the other hand, features Anupam Kher, Aftab Shivdasani and Neha Oberoi in it. Neha is traveling by train when she comes across a woman donning just one ear-ring. The story behind the one ear-ring alters her life completely. The performances are average and the story is also not that gripping.

 

In Gubbare, actors Nana Patekar, Rohit Roy and Anita Hansdani have acted. Anita and her husband have an argument while traveling in a bus. This makes the lady shift to another seat near this man holding colorful balloons, which he’s carrying for his wife. The story behind the balloons teaches a vital lesson on life. Strangers in the Night stars Mahesh Manjrekar and Neha Dhupia. New couples engage in sharing close secrets about themselves and it’s now the turn of wife, Neha to do the same. But her secret about a meeting with a stranger at a public railway station changes their lives forever.

 

The story ‘High on the Highway’ in Dus Kahaniyaan has Jimmy Shergill and Masumeh Makhija playing two wild and irrepressible love birds in a rude, impulsive love story. Masumeh gives a powerful performance and comes across as a natural actress to all those who failed to notice earlier. This story can also be called as one of the most gripping due to good performances and intriguing storyline.

 

Amrita Singh, Parmeet Sethi and Minnisha Lamba star in Pooranmasi. This story revolves around a mother’s absolute love for her daughter, who is engaged and is about to be married. The mother, however, ends up as the main reason behind her daughter’s death. Amrita Singh puts in a good performance and is good to see in simple clothes instead of garish costumes! Zahir, another story stars Manoj Bajpai and Dia Mirza. They are two strangers who meet on a lift and fall in love at first sight. The bond grows stronger until the hero finds out a bitter truth about the heroine’s life.

 

Then there’s Sex on the Beach with Dino Morea and Tarina Patel starring in it.  Dino comes across an old book by a beachside. He unintentionally signs on it and then sees a woman half-naked in the water. He’s enticed by her, enjoys great time together, but things suddenly change. Dino Morea tries to put in a good performance but could have most certainly done better.

 

Rise & Fall, the last of all the stories, features Sanjay Dutt and Sunil Shetty. It’s a story of two gangsters and their childhood comradeship that ultimately leads to betrayal. In this, two stories run simultaneously on each of the gangster’s life. The story has fabulous performances and memorable dialogues and the setting is very realistic, something you can find in your own backyard! The last story finishes the film in a perfect note and get up from your seat feeling satisfied. It is a great effort on part of Sanjay Gupta as he focuses on the stories and treats them with much seriousness and practically. A great watch with friends after lunch on weekend.

 

Touted as one of the biggest directorial ventures in Bollywood, Dus Kahaniyaan is a movie that has an impressive cast of various popular actors of Bollywood. The movie is a culmination of ten short stories, directed meticulously by seven talented directors. The stories talk of real life situations and how one person’s life can simultaneously affect others, irrespective of the fact whether they are related or not. Some popular actors signed in for the movie include Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Mahesh Manjrekar, Nana Patekar, Anupam Kher, Minnisha Lamba and Diya Mirza among others.

 

The stories deal with a variety of issues that affect common man in a big way. One story deals with friendship, love and companionship in a different way while one story talks of a writer who goes insane when he makes a shocking discovery about the love of his life. Another story talks of five friends who tell stories that finally involve them too and another story deals with the relationship between an underworld Don and his one time best friend.

 

The directors whose short films are a part of this movie are Apoorva Lakhia, Sanjay Gupta, Jasmeet Dhodi, Meghna Gulzar, Sudhir Mishra, Shyam Benegal and Hansal Mehta. The music is directed by many artists that include Strings, Anu Malik, Anand Raj Anand, Bappa Lahiri, Shibani Kashyap and Shafqat Ali Khan. The lyrics have been penned by Gulzar & Javed Akhtar. 

The stories highlight crucial human emotions and experiences like modern romance, too-good-to-be-true strangers, the power of having power and living a life in a free world. The film conveys messages like where there are friendships, there are betrayals; where there is money, there is loss too; where there is love, there is heartbreak and so on. The film is produced under White Feather Films and is a must watch for all you movie buffs!