Telling tales
3 STOREYS Direction: Arjun Mukherjee Actors: Richa Chadha, Renuka Shahane, Sherman Joshi, Pulkit Samrat, Sunny Singh, Masumeh Rating:
An elderly woman who lives alone; an intelligent wife with an abusive husband; a young inter-faith couple facing flak from their parents — 3 Storeys picks characters from everyday life and gives them an interesting twist.
The film is set in a Mumbai chawl, with each story unfolding on a different floor.
The stories are neither shocking nor novel. But the pace and narrative style are pleasant, and the ending is quite a treat.
Richa Chadha, also seen in the narrative, plays the sootradhaar. Renuka Shahane, in perhaps the film’s meatiest role, is Flory Aunty. She is looking for a buyer for her flat. When Pulkit Samrat approaches her, we see Shahane in a role as effective as it is startling — that of a sinister, bitter, vengeful old woman. Expect to be floored by her talent.
In the second tale, an old flame suddenly reappears in the life of a woman (Masumeh) struggling to come to terms with an abusive husband. This tale holds the fewest surprises and quickly becomes monotonous.
Meanwhile, there’s more to the inter-faith couple and their parents than meets the eye. This part of the narrative is peppered with the evils and melancholy that haunt real lives today.
Richa takes another ten minutes or so to reiterate that the most interesting characters are all around us, and all you need is to take a closer look and use your imagination. All in all, it’s a brave attempt at filmmak ing. The performances are striking and the narrative, neat.
If you’re looking for an unconventional treat at the box office, Arjun Mukherjee’s 3 Storeys should be on your list.