Review: Dus Kahaniyan

Of the cast Nana Patekar, Shabana Azmi and Amrita Singh notch up inspired performances in Dus Kahaniyan, writes Khalid Mohamed.

Dus Kahaniyan
Cast: Shabana Azmi, Nana Patekar, Amrita Singh, Golden Bikini
Directors: Sanjay Gupta and Gang
Rating: **

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You want yet another multi-snorer? It’s here. In the vein of the Ek Kahani TV series on Doordarshan in Baba Aadam’s time, the forgotten Ram Gopal Varma’s Darna Mana Hai and of course, omnibus movies like the recent Je T’Aime, here’s Dus Kahaniyan for the price of one.

Sorry to say, the result is as much of a bargain as your Uncle collaring you to tell you his bio-data. Of Sanjay Gupta and Gang’s yarns, one is plain silly.Jimmy Sheirgill gets stoned and pops off, oh dear. By the way, an earlier riff on this drugged-out dirge has already been seen on the chhota screen.

One is super-silly. Aftab Shivdasani’s ghost mummy, like a wedding dot.com service,organises a gal for him. And one is sheer yaara silly silly. Dino Morea blows condoms into balloons and dies. What a life! This is the worst of the lot directed by Apoorva Lakhia, who also obsesses over a fat lady in a gold bikini. Huh?

That leaves seven more and your hair’s already turning whiter than vanilla ice cream. Dia Mirza and Manoj Kumar (oopsie Bajpai) get into an AIDs unawareness mind-toaster; Arbaaz Khan eats a protein-stacked breakfast while Gupta’s camera goes nuts over close-ups of Mandira Bedi’s lips. She doesn’t even wear noodle straps.

And then, there’s a weird number about why Neha Dhupia wanted to kiss a total stranger in a waiting room. If her husband’s played by Mahesh Manjrekar, isn’t that a rather redundant issue to address?

Surprisingly Meghna Gulzar gets regressive with a mini-tragedy about a sexually repressed woman (Amrita Singh, first-rate), her about-to-be married daughter and the horrible scandal-mongering villagers. Seeing no alternative, daughter jumps into a well. Extreme melodrama,without any accompanying social comment.

Any relief? Only the ever-marvellous Shabana Azmi in the Rohit Roy-directed Rice Plate. She’s a prejudiced Tam Brahm who changes over a new secular tiffin. Naseeruddin Shah shows up to make some funny faces. Nana Patekar in Gubbare, is absolutely superb as a man who buys balloons to placate his angry wife. Surprise, surprise, this sensitive piece is directed by Gupta himself.

Nana Patekar, Shabana Azmi and Amrita Singh notch up inspired performances. By contrast, Sunil Shetty as an underworld bhai, doesn’t. Frequently, you want to surf to another channel.. but wakey wakey, it’s not Doordarshan. Overall, not happening.