Ajeeb Daastaans | Anupama Chopra's Review | Film Companion

The dastaan in Ajeeb Daastaans on ‪@NetflixIndiaOfficial‬ is plural. There are plenty of ajeebs here, but what stayed with me was the expression in Bharti’s eyes in the last shot of Geeli Pucchi.
#AjeebDaastaans #JaideepAhlawat #KonkonaSenSharma
Have you subscribed to Film Companion yet? Join us here -
bit.ly/FCsubscribe
Follow Us On:
/ filmcompanion
/ filmcompanion
/ filmcompanion
The Film Companion is a web channel intended to promote Indian cinema through films review, interviews, discussions, video essays and analytical compilations. It is intended primarily for the purpose of encouraging informed discussions, criticism and review of cinema and towards such purpose the programs use short extracts of cinematograph films, sounds recording and photographic works. These clips and extracts are of a minimal nature and the use is not intended to interfere in any manner with their commercial exploitation of the complete work by the owners of the copyright. The use of works are in compliance with the fair dealing exception provided under Sec. 52 of the Copyright Act, and we assert our use of the works under the exception provided for criticism and review.

[@FilmCompanionStudios]

Register for FC Front Row to watch, discuss, dissect and to have a good time with all things cinema: www.filmcompanion.in/fc-front-row/

[@vaishalithakkar2738]

Manav kaul and Shaifali Shah deserves a separate romantic movie. Gili pucchi was definitely the more powerful one though.

[@sumitkain]

It was my favorite. Multiple layers and it blow one's mind the way it portrays and addresses issues

[@rubym38]

The most boring, pointless and pretentious one was that one.. the last one 🙄

[@mohaiminulmahin9363]

I wish I could ignore my responsibilities like Anupama ignores the other 3 films for more than half the review.

[@onalbhandare1915]

But the other three were mediocre at best.

[@mohaiminulmahin9363]

@@byethere The last was started fine, I did not like the ending. The first 2 were bad.

[@iqran]

HAHAHAHA funniest thing ive read today and same

[@rupeshs7378]

Konkana is always terrific always. She stand out like no one else does. Dekhna padega ❤️

[@asifnoor989]

She is superb actress,I don't know why we don't see her more.Why she is not getting work.She is fabulous.

[@user-fk8md4jn3i]

@@asifnoor989 she also works in bengali films

[@dancingcarotid692]

She doesn't do that much of films in bengali too.. May be it is just her choice.. But she is one of the best actress in bollywood right now

[@rituroych]

Already watched the konkona story twice. She is on a league of her own. She embodied her character in a nuanced way, seamlessly inhabiting complexities of her character by expressing the conflicts that come with her caste, sexual orientation and gender. Aditi compliments her equally and showcases the naivete of her character, which without question accepts the treatment towards bharti. You feel sympathy for both characters, yet notice that Aditis' character never stands up for Bharti and instead keeps taking without acknowledging her own privilege. In the end however, both women are trapped and stand to lose. Yet Bharti manages to earn some justice by the end.

[@srijitaacharyya5711]

Perfect comment.

[@sheetuwaghray]

Well said!

[@radhikarb7047]

perfect. Somehow i couldnt help but think that aditi's character deserved what she got. She seemed to be selfish to me , using bharti .

[@manvi5333]

YES YES YES

[@onalbhandare1915]

I too liked geeli pucchi more than other shorts in the anthology. Konkona is just amazing in every shot she’s in and Aditi Rao was good too in portraying the naivety of her character.

[@lrs1675]

Manav Kaul looked so very handsome. Couldn’t take my eyes off him when he was on screen.

[@boyman9787]

Agree! He looked really handsome for a change. Lol

[@ItsMe_Sam]

He looked about 10 years younger than normal. What did they do to him? 😆

[@rubym38]

He looked good, but then I remembered him in that Vidya balan movie and then sab tuss 😒

[@lrs1675]

@@rubym38 I feel you ok that behen!

[@Adam-qu5uk]

@@ItsMe_Sam beard maybe

[@biswaprasunchatterji5609]

Ankahee and Geeli Pucchi are equal contenders. Shefali Shah and Manav Kaul just spoke language of heart by sign language. I liked the ending when Manav says " You managed to lie by eyes" and Shefali broke down realizing she cannot continue cheating and the sweet daughter who is losing hearing but awakening to life says "Is he the one who loved you" ? If Ankahee is by a debutant director then he deserves a special mention

[@theawantikamishra]

Agreed

[@ritikashinde1610]

"Ankahee " stole my heart 😍😍😍 Truly blessed to watch Manav kaul in such an adorable look with those spects 😘😘

[@theawantikamishra]

Mine too

[@satvikanaik3764]

Even I loved the story n both actors nailed it

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Manav Kaul needs to be cast in more romantic and poetic roles.

[@in.other.words_]

IKR!

[@mahashwetha91]

That last shot was 👌👌and yes it was a very poetic story 💯

[@dr.apoorvawasnik6948]

The end scene reminded me of Sadma.

[@Stonytude]

In that case, please don't watch The Music Teacher. Such a frustrating movie

[@rubym38]

The most boring and pretentious of all four man.. last story was total time waste.. interest hi nahi aaya

[@Jaiendrapuri]

Manav speaks through out his eyes so does sheafali, at last shot both speaking with eyes worth watching this movie

[@pradnyan6483]

Loved the story gillu puchi. Konkana nailed the tom boyish character. The expression and body language is each shot is terrific. Also Aditi got a good chance to show off her talent. The ending was too good.👌

[@ItsMe_Sam]

I think Karan Johar is missing a trick with these movies. He needs to release these as individual episodes in season, similar to Black Mirror. It makes it easier for people to revisit the stories they liked, but also he can keep building on the theme of the series in the form of episodes.

[@annanyasharma60]

She was supposedly nushrat's sister and now anu says daughter( even if by mistake) I am thinking, what if she was the daughter, in the name of sister. A parallel narrative drawn in my head already..

[@almightythorsons8092]

Same thing stucked in my mind also.... What if...

[@ItsMe_Sam]

Not sure what that would’ve added to the story

[@newsilverwhitewinter]

Hmmm, in a way that would make the child's jealousy and ultimate action more believable.

[@rubym38]

Yeah, could easily have been

[@annemoni1]

She made a mistake , don’t try to make her seem like a genius , a mistake is a mistake no matter who made it

[@mns24]

There was nothing ajeeb about this dastaan. However want to take a moment to call out Manav Kaul who gave a heartbreaking performance. Also loved Konkona and Aditi in GeelinPucchi. Nushrat was a surprise and was so convincing in her role.

[@somakkamos]

Konkana was awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.... the story was perfect. U cudnt take ur eyes away... nd the twist was so well earned

[@raho2680]

*One correction please at **4:18**.., Nushrat and Inayat plays sisters and not mother daughter...*

[@Rooshni]

Lol, stuff like this make me doubt if she actually watched the movie or just slept off to it

[@ravinani4563]

Konkona just lived in it as realistic as it is...expressions said a lot than she spoke...she nailed it...I call it matured acting.

[@LHAGYALO258]

What a performance from Konkona, Manav and Shefali!!!!

[@simranwilasra2196]

The shot of that cooker bubbling over in Khilauna is going to stay with me forever, and not at all in a good way. I feel like the first two shorts were too focused on delivering a twist and shock value that they lost nuance in the telling.

[@medhashreereads]

I totally second you.The first two stories had a plot twist and storytelling for plots is usually harder and hence they lost nuance in the process.

[@radhikarb7047]

True. It was disturbing to the core.

[@prachilele7019]

I literally hated khilaunaa.. it was very traumatic for me..

[@ritikashinde1610]

I was really mesmerized by Manav kaul's look . How someone can look so attractive suddenly??😍😍😍

[@medhasrivastava3224]

I want to be an actor and if I ever lose the motivation to keep going, I watch your reviews to remind myself of what I'd be missing if I gave up! Absolutely love your reviews that you word so eloquently. 🙏

[@kumarmadhan5942]

All the best. Praying for you. Never give up. One day you'll be very successful.

[@KatalinBurns]

good luck to you!

[@medhasrivastava3224]

@@KatalinBurns thanks a ton!🌸

[@arshbehal6312]

Konkona, Aditi, Shefali and Manav are exquisite. I was floored by 'Geeli Pucchi'. Konkona is otherworldly, she is magical. So much is said by saying nothing at all. We live in such an inherently divise and batten world which sometimes never changes for anyone. People live their whole lives, alone, isolate, trapped and devoid of love - which they yearn for everyday. Such polished work in both of these films. Loved it!

[@Navneet_Agrawal]

The kid was nushrat's younger sister and not daughter !

[@sohalidina]

The reviewer didn’t fail to mention one of the ending reminded her of “Up In The Air.” However, she must not have watched the short film “Juice” starring Shefali Shah in which the “steel cup,” a symbol of discrimination was already shown.

[@devanshrastogi6832]

Second story ki koi kyon baat nahin kr raha, wo bhi acchi hai, theek thaak likhi gayi hai, twist bahut hi dark hai, choti bacchi ka performance on point hai! Lekin haan 3rd or 4th to lajawab hain hi!

[@sulaganabiswas]

Konkona was so good in geeli puchi that I was again reminded of how excellence does not need the social media circus or PR to dazzle.

[@ishika710]

I couldn't keep my eyes off of konkana sensharma...she is 😍

[@sandhyashande]

Shefali and Manav are amazing. Super expressions. Also Konkana sen is superb, strong performance by her

[@niharikamishra_]

When Bharti advises Priya about when to "do it" because the uterus is more prepared and Priya asks her how she knows so much, Bharti coyly replies that from the same respective source Priya knows palmistry from. It hits you hard that our caste system undermines people doing "useful" jobs so much. Also throwback to Article 15 where the importance of scavengers was portrayed.

[@dvind367]

Source is Samaj

[@niharikamishra_]

@@dvind367 source is their respective elders, who are into midwifery and astrology respectively

[@mohithvamsigolla132]

“Excellent use of a steel cup” . I don’t know what to make of this statement. It’s the plain reality for a lot of people ..

[@ItsMe_Sam]

Calm down - it’s a reference to it’s symbolism and she’s right.

[@DevyaniMulik]

@@ItsMe_Sam I think they meant that it's not just limited to cinematic symbolism. Because in movies many times symbolism is only restricted to the story.

[@avi8083]

It shows differentiation between lower class workers with steel as object and people who live in white porcelain upperclass walls with a ceramic cup as object, it’s apt for the story, I guess that’s what she meant. The best part is the ending, revenge filled with anger and a sense of victory. Konkana Sen nailed it

[@njjbtb]

Ankahi: a piece of my heart is with Manav Kaul

[@user-fk8md4jn3i]

Am I the only one who liked all the stories in lust stories??

[@king3943]

Ok..go to hell

[@mrudulkilledar7698]

i did

[@bhaveshyadav5580]

Go to hell bye

[@user-fk8md4jn3i]

So my prediction was right neeraj's film was the best

[@mrudulkilledar7698]

he is the best no doubt in that but jaideep ahalawat is wasted. He should stop playing the same toxic male character

[@kshitijsahdev4480]

Badhaai ho

[@user-fk8md4jn3i]

@@mrudulkilledar7698 most talented actors r type casted🤧🤧

[@user-fk8md4jn3i]

@@byethere ikrr

[@mrudulkilledar7698]

@@byethere he is such a talented guy. Love to see more from him

[@tyagarajakinkara]

Kon kona is a legend, I am watching the part of hers on loop now, so is aditi.

[@ANKITPANDEY-vm8kx]

Koko & Aditi was faaaab in this.

[@dr.sharanjitsingh3972]

Konkana fans can watch a movie directed by Anurag kashyap, single doubles 2006.

[@user-fk8md4jn3i]

Its mixed doubles Its directed by rajat Kapoor and written by anurag kahsyap

[@akashrahatv6333]

Konkona & Shefali both are very talented artists ❤️

[@prettypinkpompoms]

The little girl was not Nushrat's "daughter" but her sister.

[@payalalam8738]

Konkana is superb as always.,..and it breaks my heart to see such marginalized people being hurt every second almost. It was heart breaking to see Bharti's heart break ..it looks like she is tough because these heart breaks have made her so.

[@ItsMe_Sam]

I agree that Gilli Puchi was the best of the 4 - it’s complex undertones about society in what in an unconventional story about sexuality, class and ambition is truly spectacular. Ankahee was good too but I was hoping it would deliver more than just an extramarital affair. I actually really enjoyed Khilauna - it was eery and engaging, and Nushrat’s performance was stellar! I really hope she gets more roles like this, she can definitely act. The weakest was Majnu by far. Bizarre plot from start to end.

[@DevyaniMulik]

Geeli Puchi is more about caste than class though. I think it's very important we dont ignore that.

[@shekharchowdhary]

Loved it. For me, Story 3 and Story 4 equally good. Loved them. Beautifully written, directed. Impressive. Story 2's end was predictable, Still it's good. I didn't like Story 1. Story 1 could be better. Love this film ❤️

[@tahneenamehreinn1059]

Looks like anupama went on with her review without even doing the homework! Inayat was not Nusrat's daughter here, rathe she was the sister. And Manav Kaul's character wasn’t named Rohan

[@arifathaar]

For greater good of itself, Bollywood should get out of soft porn syndrome ASAP.

[@zameerkadri9862]

I really like your reviews ma'am great respect for you

[@pradumnkumar9196]

Mine favorite was Ankahi❤️🥺🥺🥺 I just wanted to hug manav

[@senguptasayn]

Just saw the show. Completely agree.The last two are very very good.Surprised to see Tota.

[@soumalyanandy4818]

Such a wonderful review ma'am....I was legit lost for 5 mins 😂🥰 I will definitely watch it

[@bambi274]

This is a spoiler, telling the story. We just want to know if the films is good or bad👏

[@bhawna99]

For me 3rd story was good (wet kiss) but ankahi impressed me with the way actors used sign language beautifully n their eyes were the one talking...was loveliiee

[@BhupendraSingh-wv3by]

Geeli Puchi by Neeraj Ghaywan is the best one. Theme, execution, Konkona everything is perfect. Ankahi is made watchable by Manav Kaul & Shefali Shah's acting. Avoid the first two shorts; Majnu & Khilauna are abysmal in all aspects.

[@akanshakapoor3829]

I saw ajeeb dastaans and Fatima Sana Shaikh was convincing in her portrayal , don't understand why this anupama Chopra is so harsh on outsiders and praise pathetic acting by janhvi Kapoor in gunjan saxena and even tried to create a perception that she is a good actress in her interview with janhvi Kapoor post gunjan saxena release and during roohi promotions. Not only this she even said ananya panday has potential after seeing her acting in soty 2

[@SRDhain]

A great selection of mini reviews. Thank you 👍

[@redpillcanucklofi]

Great review...very indepth! This was like reading the manual but more fun :) Do people even read manuals anymore though...lol. Great job on your video :)

[@r.s.5160]

Yet again... Ms. Chopra’s “review” gives away the stories... almost scene by scene. Hardly any critique here. Thankfully, after years of this,I’ve come to watch the “review”after watching the movies.

[@explorebytravelling]

Am I the only one who felt manav looked younger than shefali

[@DevyaniMulik]

I think so, yeah.

[@ananyasamajdar7467]

Why should the women necessarily be younger or look younger than the man ?

[@explorebytravelling]

It's not necessary at all but I'm talking about this particular short. When we got to see him with Vidya Balan in Tumhari Sulu, it was a perfect match just because Manav's looks were simplistic. But here I got to rewind it after reading his name coz I felt it was someone else.

[@neoluddite5676]

The konkona ending didn’t make sense. If the boss could offer the job at the end, why’d he not give it it her in the first place? When Aditi quit the job after having kid, the manager could’ve hired another Brahmin girl and teach her Excel and stuff in one week. His whole point of not giving her the Job was Konkona’s caste. So how did Aditi being a mom change the fact?

[@shreyaroy1983]

May be that manager will nt higher another girl for that position bcz now he get that how capable bharati is..when aditi was pregnant bharati managed all her jobs quite efficiently so na chahate hua ve manager finally maan gya ki bharati is really very gd...

[@neoluddite5676]

@@shreyaroy1983 she’s still Dalit and her capability doesn’t matter to the manager

[@radhikarb7047]

It was also shocking to see how caste became a reason for not offering someone a" job" . I was wondering wether does it really happen. Nepotism is understandable ( probably the factory person knew aditi personally as well) but she didnt even know the basics of her job . Would anyone running a business really do that in real life ? Probably he realised at last that performing the work sincerely is more important and by than konkana's character had learned to do the accounts so well that it would have been a waste of time to find a brahmin and teach them all this. Probably he isnt as castiest as we thought , he is a businessman first. 🤔 This is what i understand.

[@zm5427]

@@neoluddite5676 I think the point was not about hiring brahmins..but about the implicit bias that a person has which he may not realise or consider it a prejudice. Aditi is presumed to be capable, got the job and then was given a chance to learn. Konkona had to prove herself first and only then the opportunity was given to her. This kind of implicit bias exists on many counts...people from pedigree colleges are assumed to be capable unless they prove themselves to be dolts. The exact opposite if you are from not so well known college...tough to get an opportunity unless you prove yourself first

[@sulaganabiswas]

Not house help and daughter, but house help and sister. Anupama, as someone who read you in India Today as a schoolgirl and who bought your books as a working woman, and subscribed to film companion when it had maybe some hundreds, and a fellow piscean, please do not embarrass me by getting facts wrong.

[@indusaraswat5256]

In khilona the girl was not daughter of Nusrat. She was sister of Nusrat. Please make correction.

[@cheenu_8322]

cn u plz expln d endng, m wondern who ws d criminal🙄

[@sharmichakraborty]

Honestly when will film companion stop describing the stories like a mundane event in the name of a review? Aajib Daastaan is intriguingly fascinating and very rightfully empathetic..barring segment 1 which was plain fully predictable..all the other segments were the winners..especially segment 3 and 4. Bharti is so horrifiedly real that at times you’d feel that whether there’s any Kankana Sen Sharma ever existed! #proudbong Shefali ma’am, after rediscovering herself in recent times, has emerged like a Phoenix with a very apt companionship from Manav Kaul. Big shout out to Tota Roy Chowdhury, so criminally underrated in the regional league and proved his mettle again. #proudbong score by A Dasgupta #proudbong guys..give it a try, it’s worth spending the time with

[@Haribollll]

Best thing to watch right if you crave quality content. AD is beautifulllllll. So amazing performances. Ah so layered and deep.

[@shubhamroyal6977]

For me the one which stand out is the last one with manav

[@amlandas3638]

In my opinion Nusrat bharucha's "Khilona" is the best among 4

[@collinsenosh]

IDK felt a little hurried and over edited, the tele prompted script a bit too crisp.

[@amnadiwanji5864]

In Khilona the little girl was her sister not daughter

[@nandinijain6300]

Anupama uh loveeeee❤️❤️ Watched the video of ur daughter on brut and she is looking so smart and wonderful and spoke so well..uh must be so proud as a mother ❤️❤️ Love uh❤️❤️

[@rishirajmukherjee6894]

Dibakar's short was better than Zoya's in Lust Stories....

[@user-fk8md4jn3i]

@@byethere I agree

[@kinjalshil]

Khilona is a masterpiece if you have understood the ending well.

[@user-ke9ir1xn7p]

Have you seen the movie? The little girl was the sister, not her daughter....and it was mentioned more than once....

[@missyquill5709]

It wasn't her daughter she was trying to sustain but her sister. Watch the anthology Anupama.

[@alankarjoey258]

Konkana, Shefali, Fatima and Manav are such brilliant performers in the movie

[@devalikabhattacharya934]

Hello ma'am, kindly do a review on Nayattu' from Malayalam film industry!! They are churning gems with limited resources

[@sagarsasidharan5958]

Small correction: The kid plays nusrat's sister, not child.

[@TheTwara]

You need to up your game. Reviewing is quite poor, no real insights. Films have moved on but your skills have not. Sorry, intention is not to be rude but somebody needs to criticise the reviewer too.

[@sjoshi9431]

I did not understand ending where baby dies- anyone?

[@girijesh15]

The baby was killed by the young girl...nussart's sister. She knows how to open a cooker...has been shown in one of the shots.

[@sjoshi9431]

@@girijesh15 thanks

[@TheStardust2011]

@@girijesh15 Why does she do that though? I couldn't find a convincing reason or justification for her to kill the baby.

[@girijesh15]

@@TheStardust2011 though not specifically shown...she wants to take revenge for her sister as the father misbehaved with nussart in front of her.

[@davemausami]

Binny is not her daughter but younger sister

[@ramc5732]

You are so wrong. The clear winner is the 4th story

[@koushik564]

The way the all stories portrayed or crafted is really good feel tough we seen it in many films r web series.

[@avinandanchatterjee2982]

Geeli pucchi is an extremely well made film. This was simply cut above the rest .

[@sag6385]

I am a little confused, Anupama said that was Nushrat’s daughter in the film? I remember her as her sister, when she says her mother died while giving birth and the father abandoned them... Am I mistaken?

[@Tatopotatoo]

Konkana ❤️❤️❤️ SO much power.

[@annie_verse]

4:25 The girl is Nusrat's sister I guess and not daughter..

[@ambrish6069]

Marginalized three times over !! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@shubhamkhobragade7355]

What was funny in that

[@annemoni1]

😂😂😂😂

[@kavithahariharan5550]

Were the first two shorts purposefully ignored ... 😂😂

[@toobajivani1164]

Why is the review only surrounding geeli puchi?... the anthology seems to be more than that.. no?

[@payalgupta7776]

Honestly I didn't like geeli puchhi that much. Overall it was a below average project. The worst being the first story featuring Fatima.

[@vaibhavbiradar9451]

The recent trend in elite Indian cinema ( Netflix, amazon and other OTT ) is : 1. show poverty 2. caste system 3. LGBTQ+ 4. toxic masculinity 5. liberating feminism 6. political commentary ( mostly bashing a party that I wont mention ) complete these steps and find yourself a golden ticket for critical acclaim and international publicity. Why are we not getting well produced series like stranger things in Netflix India? documentary A narrative is being pushed.

[@ishika710]

Because thse are d things that we r surrounded with and so that matters n approaching tht makes a mark in the society at present. atleast in this movie two of these abv shorts were very subtle without glamourinzing anythng !

[@nitishtantu8333]

Neeraj ghewan great director of bollywood

[@ridhimayadav87]

That girl is nsrat’s sister in the film. not daughter

[@drsaher8968]

ALERT:: Watch the way Anupama disses and discards an actor's performance with a smile,, the real Psychopathic smile... very Disturbing- kinda evil

[@BrokeGirlFinance]

@4:24 lol it's not her daughter. It's her sister.

[@debadritagupta6364]

It's her sister not her daughter :p

[@bhaveshyadav5580]

Has anyone heard that Kartik Aaryan has been taken out of Dostana 2 because of his unprofessional behaviour with dharma.

[@user-fk8md4jn3i]

Yes we know basically mainstream actors like karthik r still scared to play gay roles tho ppl will blame kjo that he is targeting outsiders🙄

[@kjkls]

We need to know more on this before jumping the gun.

[@prajwalreddy2779]

Kartik Aaryn signed the film in 2019 when he was excited for a dharma film ..to play a gay character and now wants to tone down gay character and wants changes in second half of script as he is scared for his image...since he realized all the fans he has are some teen girls and he doesn't want to dare to lose National Crush (apparently) image

[@sunshineyy00]

Yes I just now read on google. Apparently he is no longer a part of that project🤐

[@prajwalreddy2779]

@@sunshineyy00 not just that..Dharma will not work with him in near future

[@dsmgamesvlog5998]

this movie better then any kind of romantic movie

[@arshbehal6312]

I am here for the one and only 'Neeraj Gheywan'.

[@lalitalreddy2588]

KKS.. Best actor I n India 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@uruslima2525]

Geeli puchchi means wet kiss.. thanks!

[@yourlawyerfriend]

Fatima Sana Shaikh is not a great actor! The role she got here could’ve been played with sooo much more conviction - I’m reminded of Rasika Duggal in Mirzapur who was AMAZING or Mahie Gill or someone! She wasn’t Natural in that character at all! Koko was obviously the BEST!

[@Talesvilla]

MANJU = 4/10 TOY = 5/10 GEELI PUCHI = 8.5/10 ANKAHEE = 9.5/10

[@aishikamitra]

Except Gilli Pucchi all films fall flat, though the last one is romantic and heartbreaking, the wrong use of sign language seems tone-deaf to the sufferers.