Film Review: 3 Storeys
‘What the eyes behold the mind may not always agree with’. Debutant director Arjun Mujerjee has woven three tales (each of them with a dark and intriguing past) leading to a denouement where writer Althea Kaushal strives to link them all up.
The ubiquitous lower-class Mumbai chawl (Maya Nagar in this case) is the setting for the three stories, all centred on different storeys. Elderly Goan aunty Flory Mendonca (Renuka Shahane) is unable to find a buyer for her rooms as she’s abnormally overpriced it, till businessman Pulkit Samant shows interest. On the second floor is Varsha (Masumeh Makhija), a young woman who’s perpetually at the receiving end from her alcoholic husband. Along comes a neighbour who had a past connection with her. On the top floor, two teenagers Suhail (Ankit Rathi) and Malini (Aisha Ahmed) are forced to elope due to their religious differences till another dark secret pops up…
It’s a wonder the talented Sharman Joshi has such an underwritten role. Richa Chaddha as Leela, the seductress who lives on the ground floor, could have been given a more comprehensive character, while Masumeh emotes well, and so do the youngsters in the third act. Shahane, seen on the big screen after a long time acts well, although her Goan accent seems to fluctuate.
The advantage of such short stories is that the audience, besides relating to them, manages to devote their entire attention to them.
