There is a lot of buzz on social media around this film and this is also the number one trending title on Netflix India. So I got interested and watched Ajeeb Dasntaans – I did not regret it. Here is the trailer of the film and reactions to the film to help you decide whether or not to watch it:
The movie consists of four unconnected, very different stories: the first is Majnu starring Fatima Sana Sheikh, Jaydeep Ahlawat and Armaan Ralhan is about a loveless marriage born out of political expediency. Khilauna starring Nushrat Bharucha and Abhishek Banerjee is about how gated communities protect their own and exploit the marginalised. Geeli Pucchi starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Aditi Rao Hydari is about how caste continues to play its role in overt and covert ways in our society. Ankahi starring Shefali Shah and Manav Kaul is about a conflicted woman and the choices she has to make between her own desires and her family’s needs.
While many of the characters are played by seasoned actors we see some new faces as well. Armaan Ralhan in Majnu does a good job of playing the two faced manipulator and the story has a bitter-sweet twist in the tail.
Geeli Pucchi is the pick of the lot among these stories. It is real, raw, hard-hitting, truthful and it isn't pretty. Konkona Sen Sharma shines. She is not afraid to look plain, and does a brilliant job as a character who is at once a prisoner of caste and strangely free as well. The story is shorn of the (usually) inaccurate narrative of intersectional feminism and rosy cross-sectional sisterhood that we see in our films. This is an accurate portrayal of how caste barriers actually play out and how they further marginalize women and those with alternative sexuality.
In Ankahi Shefali Shah’s character has a daughter who is losing her hearing and an absent indifferent husband. In her new friend, Kabir, played by Manav Kaul, she seems to have the hope of a more fulfilling relationship. But does she really have a choice?
This is a story about a domestic worker who works in houses in a gated community to try and give a better life to her little sister and put her through school. The story touches on how people with privilege misuse it, how the police pick on the powerless and how class and social position determine one's lot in life.
The stories are very different in terms of concept and narrative and the milieu they represent. Some are better than others, but in all cases, the actors do a great job and are well cast. In each case, there is a social message that comes across without being in your face or preachy.
Each of the stories ends in a big plot twist that shocks or satisfies or makes the viewer feel regret.
All in all Ajeeb Dasntaans on Netflix is fresh, absorbing and enjoyable – as a bonus, it also makes the viewer think about class, caste, privilege, women's choices and more. The stories are uneven, but on the whole, this is recommended viewing.
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