User reviews

4 stories

Majnu - 6 stars - Lust. Revenge. Decent acting. Jaideep is good, Fatima still amateurish

Khilauna - 4 stars - Nusrat as maid did not suit at all. Abhishek n the little girl were much better. Storyline above average

Geeli Puchhi - 8 stars - Hats off to Konkona. So many parameters covered in single story, Caste, Privacy, Loyalty, LGBT

Ankahee - 9 stars - The best of this. Shefali n Manav, uff what actors. Straight from the heart.

I don't know why the barrage of negative reviews. It's like a part of India just wants to avoid or close their eyes to anything that's not sanskaari. They believe we live in some pristine make believe world. Ajeeb Daastaans portrays such stories of lust, lost love, revenge, and confusion in a subtle and realistic manner. I liked all four shorts, but the last two were a cut above the rest. Loved the two main leads in the last one especially. Please Indian audiences, learn to stomach reality and stop expecting your utopian dsyfunctional superficial lifestyles on the tele. Grow up!

Starting with Majnu: It depicts the constraints of an otherwise powerful man in loving his wife, even in killing her but then he finds a friend in whom he confides but story serves a superb twist just then.

Khilauna: A clever house-help who is just trying to make a happy life for herself and her young sister, but the young girl is too smart for her age. The young girl's work deserves a special mention, she seemed like a mature actor.

Geeli puchchi: A simple married woman, who is trying to understand herself and her sexuality befriends a gay girl and how their story unfolds in an unconventional manner is worth watching.

Ankahi: Manav Kaul is extremely cute in this otherwise regular story.

Overall, the movie is a must watch. Because of the length of each story it keeps you entertained every minute you watch.

Watch it for the 3rd and 4th parts. The performances and screenplays would keep you engaged right through.

Among the 4 stories, I find the third story interesting and thought provocative. I found the first story over the top. Did not need this kind of turn and twist in this stupid way. Could have showcased the whole story in a more sensitive and constructive manner. In second story, Nusrat did not fit for the part. But the concept is good. For someone who is marginalized, how everyday goes, just to fight for their simple basic rights. How tormented their everyday life gets. And the last story seems cliché. Watched this kind of story in a different setup. However, the concept is same.

Every story were amazing but Ankahi was way to precious and special.

1. Majnu The weakest film of the anthology. Jaideep Ahlawat, who was phenomenal in 'Paatal Lok' is just not convincing enough in this, especially towards the end after the twist in the tale is revealed to the audience. This story is too thin and lukewarm to leave any kind of impact on the viewer.

2. Khilauna The movie showcases the existing difference between people from different sections of society, a concept explored by the first film 'Majnu' as well, but this one does it better. Nushrat Bharucha once again puts forth a confident acting performance. The way she has been presented may raise questions, but her acting is pretty decent. Abhishek Bannerjee, for some reason doesn't have a lot to do in the film, which is a shame considering the kind of talent that he is. The youngest member of the star cast is the most impressive as far as acting performance goes. Inayat Verma has once again proved that she is a talent to watch out for. The twist in the end is not only too dark and disturbing but also comes out of nowhere. Adding a shocking twist in the end, sometimes feels like lazy writing. A good story shouldn't really put the entire onus on its climax to leave an impact on the audience. Also, nothing builds up to what we see in the climax of the film.

3. Geeli Pucchi Easily the best film of this anthology. 'Geeli Pucchi' should have been released as a standalone because the other three stories are nowhere close to what this film is. As soon as you start watching it, you realize that you are watching something really good. This is the longest of the four films, and I am really glad they didn't force the director to reduce the length. Writer, director Neeraj Ghaywan has once again proved that he is a man of extraordinary talent. In 47 minutes, the director managed to talk about so many evils of our society, cast system, Homophobia, gender discrimination, hypocrisy, patriarchy and that too very smoothly, at no point did it feel like he was forcing something down our throat. Homosexuality is a topic, that was initially made fun of by our films, but over the years filmmakers have been trying to handle the issue with more sensitivity, and this film goes one step ahead and presents it in the most normalized manner. The protagonist, Bharti Mandal gets constantly humiliated and abused by everyone around her and at a certain point I was worried that the story might just end because Bharti had hit a new low in her life, but she decides to fight back and makes a remarkable comeback from there. The writing in 'Geeli Pucchi' is just beautiful. Leading from the front in this brilliant film are two phenomenal actresses, Konkona Sen Sharma and Aditi Rao Hydari. Once again, one of the best things about these anthologies is that it's giving opportunities to actors and actresses who are genuinely talented, but are not popular enough for producers to run after them with a bagful of cash. I loved every bit of this film. This movie is a must watch.

4. Ankahi There is a lot of noise in the film when it begins, and then it almost goes into silent mode. Almost all the dialogues in the film are said through sign language, but you won't be bored watching it. All the scenes involving Manav Kaul and Shefali Shah are as sweet and smooth as the Prateek Kuhad song that plays in the background of the film. It's all good till it ends. I didn't really understand the reason as to why it ended like that. It's a simple film, not at par with 'Geeli Pucchi' but way better than the first two films of the anthology. People should watch it for Manav Kaul and Shefali Shah, two insanely talented but highly underrated actors.

Okay. I totally understand everybody has a different taste when it comes to watching movies. But man! This movie is a masterpiece, I must say! I don't normally post reviews but honestly, this movie has taken my heart, especially the second half. Don't look at the rating and stop reading reviews right away. Just go and watch it.

Watch the movie for 3rd and 4th story. They are absolutely marvelous.

Konkana and aditi rao are very good in 3rd story. It was more like a commentary on friendship.

4th story broke my heart so badly , the ending, manav kaul , first in Nailpolish and now this, he has won my heart.

Please watch this story, it is straight from the heart.

Majnu: bad movie . Full of abuses and mediocre acting by the talented cast. It is a bit of an extension of sahib biwi aur ghulam.

Khilauna: This is a good movie with very good acting from the star cast. It's funny emotional scary at times and the end opens up many questions that are not answered in the script.

Geeli puchi: this is the best of all the 4 movies with amazing acting from Konkana sen. The movie though revolves around casteism, same sex interest and color obsession which some people may don't like as it is shown too much now a days when the things are changing esp when due to reservation the promotion for the particular section is better than the unreserved candidates .Nevertheless, there are still many cases around all the topics shown in the film so it deserves to be shown and it is shown very nicely in the film. Apart from this, there is a human emotional layer added to the story which makes the movie worth watching a number of times.

Ankahi: this movie is a beautiful tale and beautiful acting by the lead casts but for me it is a one time watch.

Tired of watching these short stories with the same stories everytime, extra marital affairs, same sex attraction blah blah blah. Please creators, get something new and if you get please dont visit Dharma productions. Even if the script does not have any of the above content, they might try and fit it in.

First movie is about a lover. Typically twists and lust stories and eventually comes down to revenge and tragic ending.

Second story is about class system, power and revenge. Nusrat plays grey character who you will not find perfect, she does the decent acting playing house helper, not the best. Specially when Tillotama Shome's is still fresh in audiences' mind in 'Sir'.

Third movie is hands down the best plot, best movie of this anthology, a LGBT story made correct. It talks about class, patriarch, cast system, equality and much more serious topics of society. Not a love story but the story about acceptance. Loved it. Greatly made.

Konkana Sen Sharma proves again why she is one of the best actor we have.

Fourth film is second best in this anthology, Shefali Shah is another gem of film industry, Manav kaul has done fabulous job. Again note that this is not a love story but the story which teaches acceptance. So the climax is set very wise and heart pinching.

Ajeeb Daastaans is an anthology of 4 short stories about bonding, emotions and experiences.

It starts with "Majnu", a story about Babloo, Lipakshi and Raj, involved in a 3-way love affair that had to end in bitterness no doubt. Babloo is married to Lipakshi and soon afterwards declares that he loves someone else and won't be able to love her. Lipakshi in turn starts looking for love and sexual fulfilment with other men, culminating in one Raj with whom, she feels true love. Raj is Babloo's driver's sin, who has accepted an offer from Babloo to work as his investment advisor. But Raj actually has other designs and motives, he siphones a large sum of money from Babloo's investment portfolio, travels abroad with his parents whilst leaving a message of revenge for Babloo and having asked Lipakshi to wait for him at a train station to elope. Babloo and Lipakshi face off at the venue and mull over the love and hatred they share for Raj, and the future they have now.

"Khilauna" is actually a shocker and left me not feeling good at all. Meenal is a housemaid with a certain contempt for the rich. She lives with her little sister Binny in an accommodation whose electricity supply has been snapped. She changes her job to work for another household where the lady is pregnant and the husband, an influential person, has the ability to restore Meenal's electricity. A few months pass by and the household has thrown a party to celebrate the arrival of their baby and Meenal and Binny are also present. Suddenly the electricity snapped and the baby goes missing, only to be discovered being pressure cooked to death. A police investigation ensues to nab the culprit with a macabre and twisted outcome.

"Geeli Pucchi" is about Bharti Mandal and Priya Sharma at an industrial outfit. Priya enjoys a superior position tithe workplace and confides in Bharti about her inability to conceive and also her bisexuality. Bharti was initially apprehensive about Priya but eventually develops feelings for her. At Priya's birthday celebration at her workplace, Bharti feels discriminated against for her belonging to a lower caste and Priya doesn't help the situation. Priya also uses Bharti's house to conceive her baby with her husband as their own house has no privacy. In Priya's absence from the workplace, Bharti establishes herself firmly as Priya's successor and also advises Priya's mother in law against the latter's returning work soon as she needs to care for the baby. Bharti wins the position at the factory as even the boss is now convinced that Priya won't return soon and Bharti does the job well.

The final one is "Ankahi", perhaps the best of the lot. Natasha is married to Rohan and their daughter Samaira has a condition where she is going deaf gradually. Rohan has no time to spend with the family and keeps busy at work, leaving the mother and daughter to bond with each other. Natasha meets Kabir, a hearing and speech disabled photographer at an art gallery. As Natasha moves away from Rohan due to his lack of involvement, she develops a bond with Kabir. Kabir loves Natasha but isn't aware about her family, and hesitates to declare his love for her. When he does decide to propose to Natasha, he follows her back to her home, and is shocked to find her with her daughter and husband. It is also a moment reconciliation for Natasha as Rohan has realised his fault and is now caring towards Samaira. As Kabir appears at her doorstep, Natasha has to decide if she will walk out with him into a world of love or close the door on him and return to her responsibilities.

Manav Kaul, Shefali Shah and Konkona Sen Sharma are outstanding in their respective roles and elevate Ajeeb Daastaans to a respectable level. Fatima Sana Shaikh, Jaideep Ahlawat and Abhishek Banerjee are impressive too. At direction, Neeraj Ghaywan and Kayoze Irani are superlative. The musical score is fantastic! Ajeeb Daastaans is a mixed bag - you may exercise your choice depending on what you would feel comfortable with.

Please don't discouraged by the negative reviews, just watch the movie and decide yourself. I think most of the bad reviews because of Dharma production's controversies but give the credits where it's due. It's an overall awesome cinematic experience. We as viewers have the responsibility to promote these types of effort otherwise we are going to suffer by worthless high budget movies.

Sexual orientation/identity, class divide/casteism and adultery have been the consistent themes in all the notable anthologies with A-Listers involved in the making since "Bombay Talkies", and that's quite an odd choice to make given the vast library of untouched ideas out there (films like "Shorts (2013)" and "Unpaused (2020)" are worth mentioning here). "Ajeeb Daastaans" (what's in a name?) follows the same tradition but the content varies in appeal, selfishness being the only thread that binds the four tales together. Well, that and the fact that they all have plot twists.

Where Shashank Khaitan's 'Majnu' feels like something inspired by Alt Balaji shows and happens to be a blatant waste of Jaideep Ahlawat, Raj Mehta's 'Khilauna' manages believable performances by the leads but builds to an incoherent, torturous climax.

The much talked about and critically acclaimed 'Geeli Pucchi' directed by Neeraj Ghaywan clearly deserves all the praise as it works on every level. Konkona Sen Sharma shines bright as always. Aditi Rao Hydari too embodies her role to a T. The story touches all three aforementioned themes, and delivers. The ending is bound to strike a chord with its viewers.

Kayoze Irani's 'Ankahi' left me with mixed feelings, for the performances do resonate with the viewer but the story doesn't really make its mark.

I really love anthologies and would like to see more creative ideas and actors put on screen.

Ahlawat for sure deserve to be among the leagues of legends.... May world cinema gives him more opportunities...

Kaul and Shefali - exceptional performances always...

It is all about lies. Everyone is either lying to themselves or the other person. This is the theme of this anthology. Brilliant performances by Konkona Sen Sharma, Shefali Shah and Manav Kaul. Fatima Sana Shaikh fits the bill as a femme fatale and Nusrattt Barucha looks too beautiful to be a domestic helper living in shabbles but her sex appeal is fabolous. The story that takes the cake for me is the last one. It is beautiful and summarizes the whole anthology.

Four short stories, each narrating a bit different kind of love. In the first one Jaideep Ahlawat is completely wasted. The story is too weak. The second one is the worst, more like crime petrol drama. Poor casting (except Abhishek Banerjee) and terrible storyline. I was thinking to stop watching but last two stories are worth watching. The storyline, casting and performance all are simply fantastic. I must mention the excellent performance by Konkana Sen Sarma, Shefali Shah and Manav Kaul.

1st and 3rd story was good actingwise and storywise but 2nd story is pathetic and heartbreaking, 4th story is okayish nothing new!!!

I was pleasantly surprised, liked all 4 stories. Konkona's superlative performance blew me away - wow!! Definitely worth watching - especially the 3rd and 4th stories.

All stories are worth watching. And nothing to say about acting. Shefali, Kaul, Sen seen in new look.

Ankahi" is the most watchable out of all the four short stories. Shefali Shah and Manav Kaul have both nailed their art beautifully. Sensitive and often heart breaking portrayal. The other three are absolutely skippable. Don't know how there's such a shortage of good stories. Neither the stories are captivating nor the acting. I would say Konkona Sen Sharma is better than all the others in the three remaining stories.