Kaali Peeli Tales |Movie insert Review | MOVIE INSERT

  In Muzaffar Ali’s 1978 film Gaman, a taxi driverplayed by Farooq Shaikh asks about Mumbai: "Seene mein jalan aakhon mein toofan sa kyun hai,iss shehar mein har shaksh pareshan sa kyun hai"? Kaali Peeli Tales examines someof this jalan and pareshani. But unlike Gaman, this anthology of six films isn’tinterested in the grittier aspects of maximum city, the heat, grime, loneliness andthe migrants' struggle to survive. These stories are about mostly affluentpeople grappling with affairs of the heart, divorce, infidelity, the idea of an openmarriage, coming out of the closet, one-night stands and lovein the time of social media. The stories end with the characters in aMumbai taxi, hence the title Kaali Peeli Tales. Anthologies usually consist of filmsmade by different directors. One of the pleasures of the format is tosee how each one interprets the theme and how the varied visions play against each other. But in Kaali Peeli Tales, all six films havebeen written and directed by Adeeb Rais. And the quality ranges from flat-out awful to middling. Adeeb assembles a roster of fine actors, among themSoni Razdan, Vinay Pathak, Sayani Gupta,  Priyanshu Painyuli, Maanvi Gagroo, Hussain Dalal,Gauahar Khan, Rajit Kapur and Sharib Hashmi. The stand-out is Tanmay Dhanania as a timid teacherattempting to acknowledge his homosexuality and revealing the truth to his wife. He nails the sadness, confusionand insecurity of the character. But the actors are hobbled by Adeeb’s inept writing.He has created a slew of forgettable men and women. Case in point, an arrogant, commitment-phobicInstagram influencer Ankit and blogger Rhea, who find that opposites attractin a film called Love in Tadoba. Tadoba is a resort where the two are invitedfor a free holiday to help market the place. I’m assuming the freebies extended to the shootcrew as well, which is why the film is set there. But the writing and performances are so amateurish,that it’s hard to appreciate the beauty of Tadoba. In one scene, Ankit is trying to reveal his feelings to Rhea. He says, ‘Symptoms love jaise hain,’to which she replies, ‘But you don’t do love.’ In another, the two are sharing the things that they likeand don’t like. Each revelation is followed by: Don’t judge. Like this, freshly turned vegan, don’t judge. Hardcore non-vegetarian, don’t judge. Sadly,we have no option but to judge these two harshly. In Marriage 2.0, Maanvi and Hussain playa married couple attempting to be honest with each other about their crushes andflirting with the idea of an open marriage. Here the dialogue veers into unintentional comedy. At one point, a woman says to a man over drinks: "Muhje lagta hai ki tum bahut cute ho,aur main kab se soch rahi hoon that you should invite me to your housefor drinks, just to look at your abs". Really? Is that what hookups sound like these days? In the first story Harra Bharra, a divorced couple hostsa dinner party for their daughter’s would-be in-laws. It’s an interesting set-up and Soni and Vinaysummon the lived-in warmth of a relationship, that's been through highs and lows. So you can get past the fact that in the first few minutes, hecompliments her with, "You are still very well maintained". But Adeeb doesn’t take the premise further. And again, the dialogue sounds like a crossbetween a comic book and a greeting card. At one point, the daughter declares,"This in-laws stuff is so scary". Later, the family bonds over Monopoly and wine, withthe father teaching them how to pronounce Merlot. He also tells the ladies – "Jis family meinpyaar hota hai woh kabhi broken nahi hoti". In Single Jhumka, a woman declares:"After so long, I feel so liberated". This tedious story, in which a earringbecomes a metaphor  for the state of a relationship,is somewhat lifted by Sayani. Mostly, however, Adeeb is content to trade in banalities. None of the films give us any insight into how the pressure-cooker life in Mumbaiimpacts on relationships. The city and its cabs are merely a backdrop, they are actually used best in the titlesequence created by Madmidaas Films. Marine Drive has a role in Single Jhumka, but again,it’s a cliched representation of Mumbai’s landmark. By contrast, watch how Hardik Mehta usesMarine Drive in his lovely short The Affair. In six minutes, that filmsays more about love and longing in Mumbai, than allsix of these films put together. You can watch Kaali Peeli Tales on Amazon Mini TV.