Review: Unpaused

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Unpaused is unique in its treatment and approach. It is an opportune film and of course timely. It showcases 5 stories about how humans are coping with the pandemic, lockdown and the fear of living with the virus all the time. Glitch, Apartment, Rat A Tat, Vishaanu and Chand Mubarak. Each story is unique and showcases 5 directors. It starts with Raj and Krishna DK's Glitch and ends with Nitya Mehra's Chand Mubarak. But the beauty is in the penultimate segment, directed by Avinash Arun Dhaware (Killa and Pataalok fame). This one titled Vishaanu focuses on the migrant labors and the challenges they faced. It is deep, dark and disturbing yet in its narration it gives us moments of hope and joy. It features my personal favorite Geetika Vidya Ohiyan (its a pity we see so little of her) who is a powerhouse of talent and delivers so well in the plot. One needs to keep seeing her for several times to understand why she is such a fantastic actress we have amongst us. It was a treat to watch her in her classic appearance Soni. Perhaps the best moments of Unpaused is in Vishaanu and the plot of migrant worker (a topic so intensely discussed when the crisis was at its peak) and their plight is so well entrenched through the sequence is intriguing. You are on a tenterhook on what might happen and the end is all about uncertainty and the fear in which we all live. Abhishek Banerjee gets to hold his own space and together the couple's camaraderie is so well shot in those tik-tok videos. 

The last segment of the film, Chand Mubarak belongs to Ratna Pathak Shah and the screenplay and the plot gives her ample scope to display her talent. It is a sweet film of hope, pain and the fear of losing someone yet again. On the other side of Ratna Pathak is Shardul Bhardwaj who holds his space well and does not disappoint you. The plot of Chand Mubarak takes you on a trajectory which is the opposite of the earlier plot of Vishaanu. Yet, the pandemic and its impact remains the common thread.

And this is why Unpaused is a beautiful film to watch because each director shares his/her story on the pandemic and the crisis thereafter. The first segment,. Glitch though is Glitch free but suffers from some loose screenplay and a plot that looks predictable at the end. It starts off well with Sayami and Gulshan pitching themselves well. But the end is apparent and so it seems. Apartment the second in the segment could have played well but I have never been a big Richa Chadha fan and her limitations showed in the plot. But, watching Ishwak Singh after Pataalok was refreshing. The third one, Rat A Tat featured another of my favorite the stage veteran Lillete Dubey. However, the two leads here and their chemistry was not in the same league as compared to the one featured in the last plot, Chand Mubarak featuring Ratna and Shardul.

Yet, Unpaused must be watched for the topicality of it and how humans have countered this crisis and the difficult times in their own ways. And that is why Unpaused is a very timely film

It stream in Amazon Prime. Go watch.   

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