Category: Beyond Reviews

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Telugu Biopics: Catching Up Slowly

Unlike Bollywood the trend of biopics is not so common in Telugu Film Industry. Biopics in Telugu can be broadly divided into three categories. First category is mythological biopics, second one is historical and third one is on recent persons either alive or dead. Examples of mythological biopics are films on Ramayana, Mahabharatha characters, which we have in galore and which brought great recognition and appreciation to Telugu film industry. Historical biopics include Alluri Seetharamaraju, Gautami Putra Sathakarni, Rani Rudrama Devi, Saira Narismha reddy etc. These mainly cover kings, queens, poets and famous singers etc, who are real but a century or two old. With not many details available about their life film writers seem to have taken lot of liberties in bringing them alive on screen.

The third category, that is the flesh and blood biopics, include Mahanati on Savitri, Kadhanayakudu and Mahanayakudu on NTR, Yatra on YSR etc. Some of these biopics are on commoners like Mallesham (weaver), brave soldiers like Major (Sandeep Unni Krishnan). Earlier also we had a few biopics like Mayuri produced by Usha Kiran movies. Recently RGV has also done some biopics. These are Raktha Charitra based on Paritala Ravi, Lakshmi’s NTR, Vangaveeti and Konda.

One can’t say how much of these biopics are true to the life of the persons and how much of it is fiction labeled as director’s creative liberties. Most of these biopics avoid controversial aspects of the person’s life. Some of them are huge hits, others haven’t done so well. I will confine myself to the films in the last category alone.

1. Mahanati (2018) – Making a biopic on a legendary actress is not an easy task. Savitiri is an actress with immense recall value. Generations of Telugu audiences, for that matter other audiences of south Indian languages, have a huge emotional attachment towards her. Capturing her eventful life is daunting but director Nag Ashwin made an exemplary biopic which not only won rave reviews, but also made it a money spinning venture.

Keerthy Suresh got a role of a lifetime and the actress grabbed it with both hands. The status of Keerthy Suresh changed dramatically overnight. Dulqer Salman as Gemini Ganeshan also stood tall and made the character more charming than the actual person.

Unlike other biopics Mahanati is not narrated in a linear fashion. We see her life at different stages from the eyes of a young journalist played by Samantha. The film never gets judgmental; it depicts her more as a victim of circumstances.

2. Kadhanayakudu and Mahanayakudu (2019) – Krish Jagarlamudi got the best out of Balakrishna in both these films. It was refreshing to see the actor step away from his mass characters. It is true that Balakrishna was playing his own father but still it is no easy job, considering the legend that NTR is.

The graph of the character is immense both physically and emotionally. He nailed both the attributes. He made us also cheer for the young NTR in his journey to become a big star. Similarly the emotional turmoil before NTR became a politician was also wonderfully brought out by the actor. Though the movie is crowded with NTR’s images (real and fictional) which is understandable, still director Krish managed to show NTR’s life from the perspective of his wife Tarakam played by Vidya Balan. She of course did a thorough job. Krish’s homework is laudable given the extraordinary life of NTR both as an actor and also as a politician.

3. Yatra (2019) – There is no denying that Yatra had a big political agenda behind it. It was meant to be an emotional tribute to the late Chief Minister Y.S Rajeshekhar Reddy, which it perfectly achieved. The film is not on his entire life. It covers only his Padayatra leading to his Chief Ministership. It was directed by Mahi V Raghav, a relatively new director, but did a good job.

A major reason for this film’s success is Mammootty’s performance. He has always been a great actor. And as YSR he gave one of his best performances in his career. He showcased the pain and spirit of YSR in a simple yet effective manner.

4. Mallesham (2019) – Irrespective of the controversies around the film Mallesham, there is no denying that this was a well made biopic. Priyardarshi who generally does comic and supporting roles got a promotion as a leading man.

The story of Mallesham revolved around a Padmasri award winner by the same name. Mallesham became famous for inventing the Asu machine. His motive behind inventing this machine is to help his mother played by Jhansi. The story of Mallesham was primarily about the difficulties that he faced while inventing this machine, along with the success that followed.

There were several reasons why Mallesham won appreciation. The director Raj R did a splendid job in capturing the aesthetics of the Telangana culture. The plight of the handloom weavers was also realistically depicted. Priyardarshi as Mallesham captured the various nuances of the character without missing a single beat. An aspect of Priyardarshi’s performance that stood out was his body language.

5. Major (2022) – The story of Major Sandeep Unni Krishnan isn’t an unknown one. Most of us are aware about how he died while combating the terrorists on 26/11.

But Adavi Sesh’s Major was not just about that day. It showed Sandeep as a complete human being. Adavi Sesh excelled big time both as an actor and also as the story writer of the film. His performance was brilliant both in the action scenes and also the emotional ones. We can give credit to director Sashi Kiran for not making it jingoistic though there is lot of scope for it in the story.

These are recent ones. Now I will go back a bit.

6. Sri Ramulayya (1999) – N Shankar’s Sri Ramulayya is based on the life of Paritala Sriramulu. Sri Ramulayya tells about a man who spent his life fighting for the rights of the landless poor in a very backward area of Rayalaseema.

Sri Ramulayya presented actor Mohan Babu in a completely different light. It was devoid of the typical antics that we have come to associate with the actor. Mohan Babu surrendered to the part, he came up with the best performance of his career.

7. Mayuri (1985) – Sudha Chandan’s Mayuri is one of those biopics that has aged really well. The film talks about a young college girl who becomes paraplegic after an accident. It is about how she overcomes her handicap and resumes her career as Bharatanatyam dancer.

What makes Mayuri unique is that you have the real life person playing herself instead of an actor. Sudha Chandan gave an immersive performance. She was particularly good in those scenes when the character is determined to make a comeback as a Bharatanatyam dancer. Singeetam Srinivasa Rao’s direction made it a memorable film. In a way it was a trend setter as it opened a new genre.

This list is no way complete. I just picked a few films that are more popular. Wish someone would do a more comprehensive analysis of biopics in Telugu films.

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Dear Alia… A Love Letter From Your Fan

I still vividly remember the day 19th October 2012

It was the release of Student of The year

At that point I had no idea that you will become a part of my world

In spite of not having a lot of screen time you stormed through my heart

Your cuteness mixed with beauty bowled me and many others too

With Highway you became one of my favorite actresses

I have never missed any of your films whether they are good or bad

It is almost ten years and each of them has been a loving memory.

I have watched most of your films on repeat mode and  never felt tired re watching them again and again.

One of the qualities that I admire in you is your mental strength.

I still remember the short film Genuis of the year after the debacle of Coffee with Karan

It was not just a short film but it was also a statement on how you can take a joke on yourself.

There are many times Kangana Ranaut has attacked you but you have always dealt with it in a dignified manner.

With Coexist you made me more interested in nature

The day when I got the Coexist cup it was one of the best moments in my life

It is my most treasured possession.

Due to Coexist influence I also brought home a hibiscus flowerpot

I also developed the habit of reading to trees and petting them like dogs and cats.

Your personality reflects not just in your films but also in Ads

I love Manyavar Ads particularly the last one on Kanyamaan

It questioned the practice of Kanyadaan in a simple but effective manner

You have conquered many hearts with characters that have had the right mixture of vulnerability and strength particularly the latest one Gangubai Kathiawadi.

 Thank you so much for noticing my videos on you

The profile video that I made on you will remain one of my best videos

My admiration for you is never ending

Cheers to many more years Alia.

https://www.primepost.in/a-love-letter-from-your-fan/

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Gangu Comes Alive Through Alia

In her short career so far Alia has done many memorable characters. There have been a few exceptions like Sadak 2 but most of them have hit the mark. Out of all the roles that she has done so far the one which is most recent and most appreciated is that of Gangubai.

The character of Gangubai is in many ways different from what we have seen Alia do earlier. Roles like Highway and Udta Punjab showed the actress playing a young girl but the graph of Gangubai is very different. Here we see the life of Gangubai in three stages. It starts off with her being sold to the brothel house at the age of 16 and goes until the character is in its mid-thirties. Though we don’t see much change in the facial features as it is glamorous throughout still it doesn’t distract you from the viewing experience. The main reason for that is her body language. By body language I mean her walk, voice and eyes. Throughout the film there are many instances where she conveys her various emotions like innocence, sadness, frustration, anger and pain just through her body language. Following are some scenes in the film which bear testimony to this.

Alia is an actress who has become synonymous with her breakdown scenes starting from Highway. There is a general pattern to these, however in this movie we see a very different side to her acting capabilities. There are scenes in the film where you don’t have any breakdown but you still feel her grief. For example in one of the initial scenes where she has to stand in front of a brothel house leaning on a wall calling out to men in whispers. There are no dialogues here but Alia conveys the pain of Ganga superbly just through her eyes. There is a certain emptiness in those eyes.

The song Meri Jaan in the back of the car is also another example of how much she has evolved as an actress. The song starts off as a blossoming romance between Alia and Shantanu’s characters but midway through it takes a different turn. Shantanu’s character tries to get intimate with Alia but she rebukes him, at one point she even gets angry with him. The reason for the anger is that she expects a different relationship with him, not the prostitute-customer relationship. She wants to be cared for, it is an emotion that she has missed for a long time. All this was mostly expressed through her eyes only.

Before the song Dholida there is a scene where Alia makes a trunk call to her father, without knowing that he died already. While her mother is telling her about it the trunk call operator keeps reminding her that there are only thirty seconds left. This frustrates her to no end and not surprisingly Alia expresses her anger in full measure. The summary of what she says is that my father is dead and there are plenty of things to talk, how can you expect me to cover all this in thirty seconds. The loss and pain are superbly brought out by the actor with just her voice.

The Dholida song starts off as a celebration track but soon it moves into a very different zone. In the second part of the song we see the character going into trance and in this again we can see the different emotions that Alia conveys through her body language. The trance state is related to the telephone conversation of the previous scene.

Likewise there are plenty of instances in the film where she conveys emotions through her walk and voice. The tonality of the voice varies in many situations. For example in the school scene she talks in a teasing manner, on the other hand there is an authority that Alia brings to her voice in her scenes with Raziabai (Vijay Raaz). In the Azad Maidan speech we can see Gangubai’s empathy for sex workers. She also makes a strong case for the betterment of the sex workers lives.

In a nutshell Gangubai gives the audiences a whole new Alia.

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Looking At Partition Through Bollywood Lens

Let us recollect a few movies on partition in the context of our 75th year of Independence.

The joy of getting freedom from the Britishers was soon eclipsed by the horrors of partition. Many horrific things happened during that time as people turned inhuman and attacked fellow human beings. There were riots on huge scale based on religion. Apart from the violence partition is also remembered for the mass migration of people. People started moving from Pakistan to India and India to Pakistan in crores; one of the biggest forced migrations that the world has ever seen.

This write up is mainly about four films which explored different sides to partition like love, hatred and hope.

1. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag – The core of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag film is the partition scenes where young Milkha runs from his riot torn village in Pakistan to a refugee camp in India. The scenes where he is waiting for his elder sister and hoping that she is alive are heartbreaking to say the least. Even as an adult the memories of his childhood continue to haunt him. The partition scenes are important for two reasons. One is they make audience understand the journey of Milkha from stealing coal for a living to eventually becoming the person that he is. The other reason is – it shows that running was part of Milkha’s life from childhood and continued to be his forte which ultimately shaped his athletic career. Farhan’s fantastic performance added to the overall experience.

Bhaag Milka Bhaag
Bhaag Milka Bhaag

2. 1947: Earth – 1947 Earth was a love triangle set in the backdrop of partition. The story of 1947 Earth is based on a novel ‘Cracking India’ written by Bapsi Sidhwa. In this film Nandita Das plays a beautiful Hindu woman working as a nanny in a rich Parsi family who is caught between the affections of two Muslim men. One of the men is played by Aamir Khan. Alongside the love triangle you also have the devastating consequences of partition. Through this film director Deepa Mehta shows how hatred can make any person behave like a beast. Aamir Khan’s character isn’t a negative one to begin with but he changes when the surroundings around him are filled with religious hatred. The character transformation is complete when he betrays the woman that he loves and hands her over to rioters.

1947 Earth

3. Begum Jaan – A remake of a Bengali film ‘Rajkahani’ Begum Jaan directed by Srijit Mukherji is the story of a Kota owner played by Vidya Balan. Her Kota runs along the Radcliffe line (Indo-Pak border). She along with the inmates of kota are asked to vacate the haveli and go away. Vidya’s character is desperate to save her haveli and declining business amidst the changing political scenario of the partition. On one side of the coin you have Begum Jaan’s efforts to save her Kota, on the other side there is the track of two officers, one Hindu and other a Muslim. They were friends till recently but now they are separated working for two different countries. The two officers use the character of Chunky Pandey, a local goon to put pressure and fear in the women to leave the haveli forever. In her desperation she along with other women fights and dies a heroic death.

This story is an example of how an artificial boundary can create havoc in the lives of ordinary people who have nothing to do with political developments.

Begum Jaan

4. Pinjar – Pinjar is a story based on Amrita Pritam’s novel ‘Pinjar’. It tells the story of a young woman of Hindu background Puro played by Urmila Matondkar. She is living a happy and comfortable life with her family. When she goes for an outing with her younger sister she is followed by a mysterious man called Rashid. Rashid’s family has an ancestral dispute with Puro’s family. Puro’s family had made Rashid’s family homeless by taking over their property. The task of taking revenge falls on Rashid as his family tells him to kidnap Puro. Rashid does accordingly but he couldn’t be cruel to Puro. He marries her.  

While all this happening partition is going on in the background. In a way Rashid marries her to save her from being killed by Muslim rioters. Ultimately he wins her over with his love and affection. They form a strong relationship. Rashid also helps her in the search of her brother and eventually brother and sister meet. Director Chandra Prakash Dwivedi narrates how love can rise above hate. The brother character played by Sanjay Suri asks her to leave Rashid and return home. But Puro doesn’t agree as she is deeply in love with Rashid. While the film is emotional throughout the climax deserves particular mention.

While the above films are set during the partition there are other fictional films too which show post partition stories. These films include love stories, cross border brotherhood etc. Some examples of post partition films are Garam Hawa, Gadar Ek Prem Katha, Veer Zaara, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Filimistaan etc. The Pakistani film industry has also made movies on partition like Kartar Singh in 1999 and Khamosh Pani in 2003.

Out of these Garam Hawa is a more serious and much acclaimed film. It is about a Muslim Family who is struggling to deal with the changes in post partition India and is undecided whether to stay in India or go to Pakistan. Nitin Kakkar’s Filmistaan is about an assistant director who is mistakenly kidnapped by a Pakistan terrorist group. This film uses Bollywood as a tool to talk about the cultural similarities between people on both sides of the border.

Anil Sharma’s Gadar Ek Prem Katha is a fictional love story between a Sikh truck driver and a Pakistani Muslim Girl. In contrast to the jingoistic tone of this film you have Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Pinjar 

Bajrangi story is about a young Pakistani girl Shahida played by Harshali Malhotra. Shahida is a speech impaired girl who loses her way in India. Here she comes across a devout Hanuman bhakt Pawan played by Salman Khan. Pawan comes to know that Shahida belongs to Pakistan and the eventual responsibility of taking her back to her family falls on the shoulders of Pawan.

Kabir Khan makes many points in this film. For example he talks about how hatred sells more easily than love through Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s character. The film also explores the deep rooted religious prejudices which include Pawan’s as well.

Briefly this is how the theme of Partition reflected in Bollywood movies in all these years. The list, of course, is nowhere complete and would never be but this is an attempt from my side to recollect those tragic moments.

https://www.primepost.in/looking-at-partitiion-through-bollywood-lens/

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Vakeel Saab Versus Pink: This Pink Remake Works Best Only When It Sticks To Its Original Source

There are certain things that you need to keep in mind as a viewer when you are watching Vakeel Saab. The chief most among them are the extra masala elements that are added to satisfy Pawan Kalyan fans. The masala in this one includes three fight scenes and the absolutely unnecessary romantic track with Shruti Haasan. Nerkonda Paarvai starring Ajith as the lawyer also had a couple of additions but the changes there fitted in more seamlessly when compared to this one. Following is my opinion on the areas where Vakeel Saab works and the areas where it could have been better. 

Not surprisingly the biggest strength of Vakeel Saab is the second half. It is in this half that the story finds its footing. The courtroom face off between Pawan Kalyan and Prakash Raj engages you completely. Both the actors share a wonderful chemistry and it is very clear that they had a blast shooting these scenes. Of course the tone of these scenes is more masala laced but there is enough meat here to keep you hooked. Out of the three films Prakash Raj is easily the best opponent lawyer and beats Piyush Mishra by miles in the Hindi version. 

The second half also works better because the focus is on the stories of the three women and the situation that they are caught in. In spite of having a star like Pawan Kalyan director Sriram Venu doesn’t side track the main theme of the film which is a no is a no. He effectively uses the star to get the message across. 

Thaman’s Music and background score is another major winner. The film begins off with the beautiful Maguva Maguva. This song has been used by the director to establish the bond between the three women played by Nivetha Thomas, Anjali and Ananya. Other songs like Satyameva Jayate come at appropriate times and pack quite a punch. The female version of Maguva Maguva in particular is very emotional. 

Coming to Pawan Kalyan it would be unfair to compare the actor to Amitabh Bachchan and Ajit for many reasons. However it has to be said that he does well in the courtroom scenes. The performances of Nivetha and Anjali are also very good. They bring out the different feelings of the character really well. Ananya also does a fair job. 

The biggest grouse that I have with the film is pre- interval portions of Pawan Kalyan as the savior of people. It is peppered with scenes that will give you a major deja vu as we have seen this in many commercial films in the past. The character has also got shades of Sunny Deol from the film Damini. 

The love story between him and Shruti Haasan is another thing which will test your patience. Shruti Haasan hasn’t got anything to do and even in the slight emotional scenes she messes it up big time. It was a track which wasn’t needed in the first place. 

The fight scenes aren’t bad but they don’t really add much to the film. Except for the fight in the park the other two could have been easily chopped off. 

In totality chances are that if you are a fan of Pawan Kalyan you would enjoy the film more. For those who have already watched Pink keep low expectations if you are planning to watch Vakeel Saab. But keeping aside the comparisons, it is good to see a film like this being made in so many languages. The important point is the message has to go down –  A NO IS A NO. 

https://www.primepost.in/vakeel-saab-versus-pink/

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William Shakespeare: A Writer For All Ages

Not all writers have a universal appeal but William Shakespeare’s works have transcended geographical boundaries because of the universality of his themes. Although it has been a long time since the writer has died he is still remembered by many and his works have been made into so many films across languages. William Shakespeare was a playwright who wrote stories of so many genres and in each of these genres he left his own stamp. On one hand you have the likes of King Lear, Hamlet etc which leave you heartbroken, on the other side there are the likes of Tempest, Twelfth Night etc which leave you with a smile on your face.

While Vishal Bhardwaj’s trilogy of Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet is well known there are also other movies which are slightly less known. For example, you have the Telugu film Gunasundari Katha directed by KV Reddy. KV Reddy took inspiration from King Lear but changed the ending into a happy one. Comedy of errors was made in both Hindi and Bengali. The Hindi one was directed by Gulzar and starred Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma in leading roles. Comedy of errors is a story about two pairs of identical twins and the chaos that happens as a result. The story ends with the twins finding each other and their parents. Together they resolve the entire problems caused earlier. In Bengal the film was made as Bhrantibilas starring Uttam Kumar.

I haven’t seen the Bengali one but Gulzar’s adaptation was a hilarious comedy with lots of fun elements. It is a complete family entertainer which is something you cannot say about all the comedies. The star cast made the film even more special. While Sanjeev Kumar is as good as usual Deven Sharma matched up equally.

Following are some of the things in Shakespeare writings which explain his universality.

  1.  Plots and Themes- Shakespeare’s plots and themes are something which are timeless. They are not limited to a particular place or time. For example there is the ill fated love of Romeo and Juliet. Although the story is set in England you can place the plot anytime and anywhere in the world. The reason for that are racial, ethnic and the class divisions. Similarly if we talk about Macbeth you have the themes of good versus evil, the dangers of ambition and the influence of supernatural powers. All these themes are as relevant today as they were when Shakespeare wrote the play.
  2.  Complex Characters- One of Shakespeare’s biggest strengths was how he wrote his characters. His characters come with distinct behavioral patterns. He presents human beings with all their vices, virtues, strengths and weakness. Because of that his characters feel like living, breathing human beings instead of being superficial. There are times when he allows the mysteries to go unsolved knowing very well that in real life most people don’t know all secrets about their neighbors, their fellow employees or even themselves for that matter.
  3.  Universality- Because his plots and themes have universal appeal every culture has a Macbeth, a Lear, and an Othello. Versions of all his plays have appeared in almost every language. These include Turkish, Japanese, Korean etc.
  4.  Authenticity- because he had vast knowledge obtained through self education and school he used that knowledge in his writings to make them authentic and believable. He was versed with many languages which include Latin, French and Italian. He also knew many subjects like history, medicine, geography, Flora and fauna, politics and government etc. Last but not the least he was also very well acquainted with human nature and that clearly showed in his writings.
  5.  Observations about Humankind- Shakespeare was someone who didn’t mince words about human nature. He openly expressed his observations about humankind without any flattery or political blandishments. Blandishments are a pleasing statement or an action that we do as a means of gently persuading someone to do something for us.

In totality these are some of the reasons which can be attributed to Shakespeare’s universality. Just like Ramayana and Mahabharata his works will continue to be made forever. You will have new filmmakers exploring his stories in their own ways. The latest being Malayalam film Joji which is inspired by Macbeth.

I will end this feature with a big thanks to William Shakespeare. Thank you sir for writing stories which are so relevant even today.

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Anthologies: A Format that Needs A Reformat

Today’s feature is about the emerging trend of Anthologies. Initially anthologies were only made in Hindi starting from Bombay Talkies but now the trend has stepped into Telugu and Tamil as well. The reason for anthologies to be interesting is that it gives filmmakers an opportunity to explore different genres, it also gives an opportunity for actors to play different parts. Of late, the genre is losing its shine as a result of stories which are one dimensional. Case in point being Paava Kadhiagal along with the recently released Pitta Kathalu. But before that I will give a brief description about six anthologies, four of which I liked and two I didn’t.

The first one is Bombay Talkies. It is a collection of four stories directed by Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Anurag Kshyap. It was made as a celebration of 100 years of Indian cinema. The stories were about how cinema impacts the life of the common man except for the first one directed by Karan Johar. The first one was about homosexuality and in a way an odd one out. But that didn’t become bothersome as it was about breaking out from your shackles and coming to terms with your sexuality. Out of the four this one was my favourite.

Onir’s I am was more serious given the issues that it tackled from child abuse to Kashmir etc. In spite of the heaviness of these themes it was thought provoking and never boring or depressing. The anthology felt necessary and was a welcome break from the commercial format.  

The third one is Putham Pudu Kaalai. It is an anthology set in the times of COVID- 19 and deals with lives of the people amidst the pandemic.

In Putham Pudu Kaalai the first four stories are set in the upper middle class milieu except for the last one directed by Karthik Subbaraj. The story of Karthik Subbaraj is about two thieves and through them the director talks about how greed leads to nothing. It also explores how miracles can indeed happen sometimes.

The best way to describe Putham Pudu Kaalai would be as an uplifting exploration of love and longing amid the pandemic. My favourite story out of the five is the first one directed by Sudha Kongara. The story is about a reunion between two lovers in their middle age and how the lockdown enables them to enjoy the company of each other. One of the major reasons why the story works is due to the chemistry between Jayaram and Urvasi. 

 The last one is Unpaused, just like Putham Pudu Kaalai this anthology is also heart warming. One of the stories in Unpaused is about a woman who thinks of killing herself after she discovers that her husband is a sexual predator. But just then a stranger rings the bell.  Apartment talks about finding your inner strength and shows that death is not the solution. In totality the anthology was both uplifting and melancholic. 

Now let’s move to Paava Kadhaigal and Pitta Kathalu. All the stories of Paava Kaidhagal revolve around caste and Honour killings. There is nothing wrong in making films about caste and honour but it should not be in such a way that it makes you lose faith in human beings. In all the four stories the parents are the villains which is even more disturbing. Vetremaran’s segment particularly made me angry. It was too prolonged and it also didn’t help that you had fine actors like Prakash Raj and Sai Pallavi. Because of their acting you feel the pain more. 

In Pitta Kathalu three of the four stories portray women as villains. For example in the first story you have Lakshmi Manchu’s character who takes advantage of a girl in order to rise in politics. It is a typical story which vilifies an ambitious woman. Nag Ashwin’s X Life is the only different one in the anthology. It talks about people’s obsession with gadgets and how they are losing the human touch.  I would end by saying that it is high time that the filmmakers reflect on the kind of stories they are making just because they have freedom. They need to move out of stories which have abuses, extramarital affairs etc.