3 STOREYS

Debutant director Arjun Mukerjee’s 3 Storeys efforts to break the perception that the inhabitants of a regular Mumbai chawl live apparently staid lives. Each story ends with a delightful twist, throwing light on human feebleness and also lays bare the situations, which often go against human wishes and desires. 

 

As per story, the movie intertwines together three stories set in a Mumbai chawl. While the first story involves a businessman looking for accommodation in Mumbai who finally zeroes in on a house that’s high-priced, the second one revolves around a wife dealing with an abusive and alcoholic husband. The third story narrates the tale of forbidden love where a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy fall for each other. 

 

Veteran actress Renuka Shahane as an elderly Christian lady living alone and quoting an exorbitant price for her house manages to slip into her character with ease. Her unassuming demeanor acts as the perfect foil for what follows in the story. Pulkit Samrat as a businessman who comes to purchase her house is capable. In the meantime, Masumeh Makhija as a housewife who faces abuse at the hands of her husband and also nurses a broken heart for her ex-lover, uses her eyes to convey her feelings. Sharman Joshi delivers a decent performance as a man who is overwhelmed with mixed feelings when he faces his ex-lover. Debutants Aisha Ahmed and Ankit Rathi are well cast as young lovers who believe that they can overcome the odds stacked against them. Richa Chadha, in spite of limited screen time, leaves a mark as a seductress. Richa Chadha, who is also seen in the narrative, plays the sootradhaar, the storyteller in the film that can be divided in three acts, and the ending is quite a treat!

It is a non-conventional treat. Arjun Mukherjee’s 3 Storeys is a film that weaves together thriller, love story, social issues, realities and life all in one package, without being too chaotic. The actors’ brilliant acts are added bonus. 3 Storeys competently demonstrates the art of telling a story.

 

Overall, it is worthy to watch once for good performances of star cast and its entertainment quotients.