'Unpaused' review: Finding hope, friendship and happiness in the middle of a pandemic

New Delhi

The central theme of Amazon Prime's original film 'Unpaused' is the pandemic. The anthology has five different stories with the lockdown as its common thread and yet each film tries to look for the silver lining amid uncertainty and gloom. 

Borrowing some significant incidents from the lockdown that India witnessed earlier this year- six directors weave stories of friendship, of hope and of love that makes for an engaging watch. 

In Tanishtha Chatterjee's 'Rat-A-Tat' a 60 plus woman is unhappy with the cacophony that has come with the lockdown. A noisy neighbour keeps banging plates and she wants the police to intervene. The police, of course, doesn't turn up but she soon finds herself reluctantly helping out a young girl who lives above. The two have contrasting personalities and are stuck together due to circumstances. 

In Nikhil Advani's 'The Apartment', the utensil banging and 'Go, Corona go!' chant is there in the backdrop. Amid all the noise, a lonesome, dejected woman contemplates suicide due to her soured relationship with her husband. While she thinks she is ready to give up, an over-friendly neighbour keeps popping up at her doorstep to complain about leaking plants. 

Then there is Raj and DK's 'Glitch' which is the only futuristic tale in the anthology where a hypochondriac is forced to move out of his cocoon for the love of a girl. Things are mostly virtual with the man ever so often hyperventilating about contracting the virus while the girl rolls her eyes in frustration. 

The two most compelling and the best stories of the lot are by directors Avinash Arun and Nitya Mehra. Arun's film 'Vishaanu' has a migrant couple stuck in a dead township amid lockdown with limited resources. As they figure out ways to go back to their native village, they find solace in each other's company, their temporary shelter and TikTok videos. 

Mehra's 'Chand Mubarak' talks of two uncanny people forming a rare bond amid despair and gloom. She is an educated senior citizen who enjoys living a life of solitude and he is an auto driver, helping her run errands and earning quick bucks- yearning to be with his wife and children back in the village for Eid. It's a story that not just addresses the religious prejudices but promises of a better tomorrow. 

Each story is about half an hour-long, but with deft writing and execution, so much is told in limited time. Each short film has its moment. 'Glitch' is the funniest with Gulshan Devaiah owning his character as a manic who is over-cautious. 'Rat-A-Tat' celebrates sisterhood in the most unusual way with credible performances by Lilette Dubey and Rinku Rajguru. They are chalk and cheese and yet make for a beautiful pair together. Richa Chadha, Sumeet Vyas and Ishwak Singh's 'The Apartment' highlights the importance of mental health in the middle of pandemic and emphasises on the importance of moving on at the right time. 

'Unpaused' gives us the most heartwarming performances by Abhishek Banerjee and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in 'Vishaanu'. The two talented actors transform themselves to play a couple who are stuck in limbo. And despite the overall sense of uncertainty and despair, the two find happiness in being together. The characters are not easy to play for the actors, but they deliver a compelling performance. I would've loved to watch a full-fledged feature based on these two characters. 

Ratna Pathak Shah's and Shardul Bhardwaj's story too puts a smile on one's face. As a weary spinster who likes living a life of solitude, Shah's character eventually warms up to the friendly, kind Muslim auto driver and the two become friends while running errands. 

The year 2020 will always be remembered for its collective gloom and uncertainty that gripped the world. 'Unpaused' tries to point at the human goodness, the resilience of every individual in such an unprecedented time. As we all rush to bid 2020 goodbye- and for all good reasons- 'Unpaused' makes us pause for a moment and look back at the brighter things that the year gave us. 

Also read: Lilette Dubey and Geetika Ohlyan speak to WION about their film 'Unpaused'