Review: 'Ajeeb Daastaans' Is Neatly Crafted And Exquisitely Acted

The most challenging part of an anthology - or film, for that matter - is to keep the viewers glued to the screens till the very end. For it to work, it is imperative that each story is gripping enough to hold the audience’s attention. Our experiences with some of the last anthologies like Lust Stories and Ghost Stories haven’t been quite pleasant, to be honest. However, Karan Johar’s latest outing, Ajeeb Daastaans, manages to engage us and is perhaps the most ambitious anthology we have seen lately.

Ajeeb Daastaans comprises of four short stories and these tell the tale of five women. The film explores some issues very relevant to our society, especially Neeraj Ghaywan’s story Geeli Pucchi, starring Aditi Rao Hydari and Konkona Sen Sharma. Ghaywan’s story is also, perhaps, the most refreshing of the four. The film opens with Shashank Khaitan’s Majnu, starring Jaideep Ahlawat and Fatima Sana Shaikh. However, as the film progresses, you have a feeling that the stories in the latter half of the anthology could have made for a more impactful opening.

Lipakshi (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Babloo (Jaideep Ahlawat) are stuck in a loveless marriage. Babloo makes it clear to Lipakshi on the very night of their wedding that their marriage is just a compromise. Babloo, a Barabanki strongman, had to give in to his father’s order of marrying Lipakshi because of her strong political background. Disappointed with her loveless marriage, Lipakshi tries to find love elsewhere. Enter dashing hunk Raj Kumar (Armaan Ralhan), who soon begins working for Babloo. Lipakshi is attracted to Raj and keeps no stone unturned to seduce him.