Dus Kahaniyaan

It's a new format of a bollywood movie. I expected 10 stories to run parallel but turned out they run separately one after another!!! And all the more they have been directed by 6 different directors. This movie reminded me of Shakespeare's book - 16 short stories which I read in school! Some stories are well done, most of them ending with a message. Lot of diverse topics were covered in different short stories which seem to work well.

Although some of the stories were boring but they only last 10 mins, so tolerable! Stories in the second half are better and more interesting.

I wouldn't pin-point any performance as outstanding, there was too less time for anyone to prove anything but generally the experienced actors/actresses seemed to be doing better.

I won't be a spoiler by describing the scenes, but a good movie with a different style and good time pass!

Dus Kahaniyan - Six Director's 10 short stories in one film is the novel part which can be compared with "Darna Mana Hai" kind of movies. The only difference is that here "Its like seeing 10 short films at one go" as they are not related with each other and no linking scenes. Here I will rate each story for you and that will give you the whole idea of the movie :

The Best of 10 Stories 1. Puranmaasi (Amrita Singh, Minisha Lamba and Parmeet Sethi) If this short story does not inspire our film-makers to look into our own literature in Hindi, Urdu & Punjabi for new subjects then no one can inspire us really. Directed by Meghna Gulzar its based on the short story of Kartar Singh Duggal. The plot is so powerful and shockingly impactful that you feel surprised, why it was not adopted for a complete movie. The most impressive of the 10 and the unarguably the best part of the movie. You will only remember this at the back of the mind after watching all the 10.

Other Good Stories 2. Strangers in the night (Neha Dhupia, Mahesh Manjrekar) (Good use of surprise element, human touch and sensuality) 3. Zahir (Manoj Bajpai, Dia Mirza) (You find it funny as you get to know the real thing though its quite serious) 4. Rice Plate (Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah) Rohit Roy makes his directorial debut but chooses an inspired theme. Though he does a fine job but the similarities with the short film "The Lunch Date" (1989) are really questionable. Check out : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100076/plotsummary

Below Average Stories 5. Matrimony (Mandira Bedi, Arbaz Khan and Sudhanshu Pandey) (On Out of marriage Relations told many times) This story is inspired from 1st Episode of SEASON 6 of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" Titled : Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat Check out at : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047708/episodes#season-6 http://www.alfredsplace.com/presents.htm 6. High On The Highway (Jimmy Shergill, Masumeh) (About a drug addict couple..Not impressive) 7. Love Dale (Anupam Kher, Aftab Shivdasani and Neha Oberoi) (Follows the "Darna Mana Hai" tradition with Ghosts) 8. Sex on the Beach (Dino Morea and Tareena Patel) (This too follows the "Darna Mana Hai" Ghost thing) 9. Gubbare (Anita Hasnandani, Nana Patekar and Rohit Roy) (Again on "Darna Mana Hai" lines) 10. Rise and Fall (Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty) (Gang Fights and Stunts……Just Passable)

So with only 4 out of 10 watchable stories, it gives only average rating to the movie. Rating : 2.5 Stars (Dont miss "Puranmaasi", the story is the pride of our rich literature)

Dus Kahaniya falls in the line of the daring attempts made by few directors of presenting different stories of different people in one movie. But this was the most unique of all them, till today. Dus Kahaniya is just like somebody buying a short story book from a book shop which comprises for 10 different stories. But the real flaw, which i think was, i was never attemted to establish a link between these stories which may also be said as the unique point of the movie. But i don't think this gamble paid off.

Also i would certainly mention about a few stories which i personally liked, from the flock presented,were Rice Plate(Nassir Sahab and Shabana Aajmi ji,directed by Rohit Roy), Zahir (Manoj Bajpai and Dia Mirza, Directed by Sanjay Gupta) and Puranmasi(Amrtia Singh,Minnisha Lamba and Permeet Sethi, directed by Meghana Gulzar).

I would certainly say that people should watch the movie and if you don't watch it expecting links between the stories this one you will certainly like.

Here i would also mention that the most disappointing person was Apporv Lakhiya. I think the story was not new to the public, for me at least. I expect more form him after seeing some of his brilliant work.

"Dus Kahaniyaan" comes from the stable of Sanjay Gupta's production house-WHITE FEATHER FILMS. In the past they have come out with "Musafir", "Kaante", "Zinda" & "Shootout At Lokhandwala". Two things that one can be certain of in the movies from this production house are Sanjay Dutt and lots and lots of style! In "Dus Kahaniyaan" you find both, but in parts! "Dus Kahaniyaan" can be described best as like a book of short stories covering different genres or spectrum. It has , like the title says, 10 stories. Each one of them is a separate story and therefore what makes this movie different from the likes of "Darna Mana Hai" etc. is that the stories are not connected by any common thread! Each story exists in a different world, completely independent of each other just like the different stories in a book.

Now, coming to the important part-are the stories good enough to grip you? Well, personally I feel that there are at least 4 stories that are a notch above the other 6. That's my personal opinion though some viewers might take a liking to a few of the other stories as well. The best of the lot are (not necessarily in that order): MATRIMONY-Features Mandira Bedi, Arbaaz Khan and Sudhanshu Pandey. It's about marriage and infidelity. Good acting from all three and the twist in the tale is awesome-my favourite of the ten stories! RICE PLATE-Shabana Azmi and Naseruddin Shah. You expect the best from them and are not disappointed. The story is about religious belief's-two contrasting views! A subtext of communal harmony.

ZAHIR-Another story with a twist! Features Manoj Bajpai and Dia Mirza. Good narration though acting was just about passable! It's about a writer (Manoj Bajpai) who has failed in love but see a ray of hope (yet again) in Dia Mirza. But is She ready? Has an underlying social message too! POORNAMASI-A tale of honour. Revolves around a mother-daughter played by Amrita Singh and Minnisha Lamba respectively. A decent story (that's the least you can expect from it's writer-Meghna Gulzar).

The other 6 stories that I haven't mentioned didn't really grip me! There's SEX ON THE BEACH (Dino Moreo, Tareena Patel) that has some good visuals, sound effects and tilts towards the spooks but just doesn't do it. GOOBARE (Nana Patekar, Rohit Roy, Hansika Mansandani) is predictable and so is the one that has Aftab Shivdasani and Neha Uberoi! RISE AND FALL involving Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty is confusing (due to the way it's narrated) and is only high on style. STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT (Neha Dhupia, Mahesh Manjrekar) is below average too. And the weakest is HIGH ON THE HIGHWAY (Jimmy Shergill).

The advantage for the viewer when you are watching a movie like this is that the movie literally moves on! If you don't like a story, it wouldn't tax you for long-that's the best part. Some stories, like I said, could have been better. Sometimes, like in their earlier movies, the stress is put too much on Style and Gloss rather than the fundamental part-the script. The point is then missed! So an overall rating of 5.5/10. 4 for the four good stories and 1.5 for genuine innovation-something different. A sequel-why not. Can get 6 or 7 right next time!

'Dus Kahaniyaan' is very much a collection of 10 shorts. None of the stories have anything to do with the other. 6 directors tell their story in 10 short films but only a few are worth watching.

Apoorva Lakhia's "Sex on the Beach": These days one can only expect sleaze where Dino Morea is concerned and this one provides that. It looks like the sleazy version of a story from 'Darna Mana Hai' except this one is boring. Tarina Patel in a cheap bikini trying to pull off Ursula Andreas's famous walk-from-the-sea scene is laughable. This is the worst short of them all.

Sanjay Gupta's "Rise & Fall": I don't understand why Gupta chose to tell this uninteresting story that has been told x number of times already. Well, it is quite known that Gupta is a hack so nothing new there. Sanjay Dutt is decent and Sunil Shetty is bad. The cinematography is good but the action sequences are overdone.

Sanjay Gupta's "Strangers in the Night": The twist in this one will make viewers laugh. From erotic it turns to preachy. Why were these two people having this conversation? Mahesh Manjrekar was lame and Neha Dhupia was alright (she looks sizzling).

Hansal Mehta's "High on the Highway": Another pointless uninteresting story. It tries to be dark but ends up being too messy. Jimmy Shergill hams when he's screaming but otherwise he's okay. Ditto for Masumi Makhija.

Sanjay Gupta's "Matrimony": This is a poor adaptation of Roald Dahl's 'The Colonel's Coat'. It lacks the wit of the original short story and the characters aren't that interesting. Arbaaz Khan fails to impress while Mandira Bedi and Sudhanshu Pandey are just okay.

Jasmeet Dhodhi's "Lovedale": What i liked about this one was Anuradha Patel. OK, she was there only in one scene (and does a good job) but it's remarkable to see how little she's changed in 20 years (I last saw her in 'Ijaazat'). The story is nice but seems a little too rushed, hence unbelievable. Anupam Kher is forgettable. Neha Oberoi looks sleepy and Aftab Shivdasani is average.

Sanjay Gupta's "Zahir": This is one of those stories with a message. It's not as engaging but what makes it watchable is Manoj Bajpai's performance. The actor displays Saahil's easy-going nature, his loneliness and his sexual frustration with tremendous ease. Diya Mirza shows improvement as an actress.

Meghna Gulzar's "Pooranmashi": A tragic tale of a mother and daughter. It's one of the shortest stories but also most effective. Amrita Singh is fantastic and Minisha Lamba is really cute and does a fine job. The story is a little predictable but this one engages far more than the other seven mentioned above.

Sanjay Gupta's "Gubbare": A touching story. The story sounds familiar but the dialogues seem genuine. Gupta does a good job with this one. Nana Patekar is wonderful. Rohit Roy and Anita Hassandani are very competent. This is a nice one.

Rohit Roy's "Rice Plate": Save the best for last. This one is the best among the 10 shorts not only because of two of the most accomplished actors, but also because of the way the story is told. Roy tackles relevant issues concerning religion and prejudice but he does it with a wonderful balanced sense of humour, that doesn't prevent the message to get through. It's great to see Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi work together after years. Azmi is hilarious as the eccentric Brahmin while Shah downplays his part with dignity. Rohit Roy shows great promise as a director and perhaps this is a career-path he can consider. This one is a treat to watch.

On the whole, it is the last three shorts that I liked the most while the rest did not make much of an impression but one big flaw is that none of the stories are original and most of them have been plagiarized. I'd say watch it only for the three good.