Unpaused is an Indian Anthology film having a collection of 5 short stories and directed by five different directors, Raj & DK, Nikkhil Advani, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Avinash Arun Dhaware, and Nitya Mehra. It stars Gulshan Devaiah, Saiyami Kher, Richa Chaddha, Sumit Vyas, Ishwak Singh, Lillete Dubey, Rinku Rajguru, Abhishek Banerjee, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, Ratna Pathak Shah, and Shardul Bhardhwaj. It was released on 18th December 2020 on Amazon Prime Video.
The first story is called 'Glitch', in which Ahan (Gulshan Devaiah) goes on a virtual date with Alizah (Saiyami Kher) but Ahan starts to panic when he gets to know that Alizah is a Corona Warrior. Then the second segment, 'The Apartment' in which a successful young woman Devika (Richa Chaddha) is trying to hang herself but is always interrupted by her neighbor Chirag (Ishwak Singh). Then 'Rat-A-Rat' where an old woman Archana (Lillete Dubey) befriends a girl Priyanka (Rinku Rajguru) who has a rat problem in her house and now stays with Archana where their bond deepens. 'Vishanu' gives a glimpse into the life of Manish (Abhishek Banerjee) a painter, and his wife Seema (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan) who are daily wage workers and are stuck in Mumbai in an abandoned building due to lockdown. The ending one, 'Chaand Mubarak' shows the bond of an old day Uma (Ratna Pathak Shah) with an auto-rickshaw driver Rafique (Shardul Bhardhwaj).
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The film has been shot during the lockdown period and the result is so beautiful, all the stories leave an impact. 'Glitch' where Saiyami Kher wonderfully plays a corona warrior and its so wonderfully written character with an emotional depth showing how people want them but don't need them, speaks it all for Alizah. Glitch is for those warriors who are out there taking care of us and successfully evokes an understanding in the audiences that we should think about them as it's said in the film that warriors have a high rate of suicide due to depression, anxiety, and alienation. Though it's has a witty touch, that is Raj & DK's spice and sometimes funny but is deep in terms of characterization and with the message it delivers.
'The Apartment' directed by Nikkhil Advani doesn't really takes any advantage of the corona period but has a backdrop of the lockdown and shows the guilt and the cage Devika is in due to the sexual misconduct her husband has been doing with the younger girls working in her company. The feeling of self-loathing and the guilt she's in that she didn't stop him makes her want to take her own life but Chirag makes her realize that nothing will change if she takes her life. Richa Chaddha did an amazing job portraying a 'cage' like feeling of living in a frustrating marriage and yet being so calm and soft. It's the weakest among the fives but still has it's magic.
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'Rat-A-Rat' takes a light breezy path delivering a fresh lockdown period story that starts with the sound that is now almost unforgettable for any human. Lillete Dubey did an excellent job in playing the strict, straightforward old lady Archana. To see her and Priyanka bonding and sharing all of their personal lives and inner feelings is one of the strongest aspects of this one and it hugely depends on this only.
'Vishanu' could have been the most impactful story here which shows a family stuck in Mumbai, with no house to live in, and finds a vacant apartment to spent this hard time of lockdown. Abhishek Banerjee and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan are in excellent form and did full justice to their roles but somehow the limited length didn't to the story. It ends abruptly wanting for more.
'Chand Mubarak' is the finest and the best story among all five. Ratna Pathak Shah lives the character of Uma, a lonely old lady who's secretly holding the pain of losing someone close to her. Whereas there's Rafique, an auto-rickshaw driver who can't go to his home and met his daughters during the period of Ramzaan. Their interactions are the strength of this story and the director presents them as in their finest form delivering many heart-touching sequences in a mere twenty minutes. The sound design and cinematography were absolutely great in this one.
Every class of people is affected by lockdown and the pandemic situation prevailing in the world and Unpaused did an excellent job in presenting that. The writers and directors have done their best to create a world that is so relatable in terms of the emotions of the characters and telling them most effectively and warmly possible. This anthology is surely one of the best I've seen in recent times and that too using the current pandemic scenario. The performances, the camera work, and the music, everything is top-notch. Among the five, I find "Chand Mubarak" and "Glitch" to be the best attempt in showcasing the human state of mind in its purest form. Watch it, it is highly recommended.
Rating:- 3.5/5
Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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