The latest anthology to make its way online is RSVP Movies’ Ankahi Kahaniya (2021) which is due to be released on Netflix on 17 September.
The film has been directed by Abhishek Chaubey, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Saket Chaudhary and features Abhishek Banarjee, Zoya Hussain, Kunal Kapoor, Nikhil Dwivedi, Palomi Ghosh, Rinku Rajguru and Delzad Hiwale.
According to the streaming platform, the anthology will explore untold love stories. It states, "'Ek tha Raja, Ek thi Rani, Dono mil gaye, Khatam kahani' is a story that everyone remembers from their childhood but what if someone finds comfort when they part ways?"
Abhishek Banerjee stars in Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s segment. Written by Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain and Nitesh Tiwari, the story will blur the lines between reality and fantasy.
Talking about her film, she elaborated, “With every story, I want to challenge myself as a storyteller and create varied emotional connections between the viewers and the characters that will last in their minds for a while. I hope with this story I can captivate the imagination of movie lovers with questions of untold and unanswered emotions every human goes through.”
Abhishek Chaubey, whose segment 'Hungama Kyun Hai Barpa?' from Ray (2021) was a standout, returns to the genre with a Kannada story Madhyantara by Jayant Kaikini. The segment stars Rinku Rajguru and Dellzad Hiwale.
Chaubey said this film was especially close to his heart. "This is a story of the city in the 1980s and young love in the world of single-screen theatres," he shared. "When you’re young and caged in Mumbai, looking for love's a sweet escape. And what's better than finding it at the movies, however fleetingly?"
Written by Zeenat Lakhani and Saket Chaudhary, the final segment sees Chaudhary in the director’s chair as well. He has previously directed the films Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006) and Hindi Medium (2017). The cast includes Kunal Kapoor, Zoya Hussain, Nikhil Dwivedi and Palomi Ghosh.
In a statement, Chaudhary said, “Love stories have always been one of my favourite genres. It is a pleasure to be a part of Ankahi Kahaniya's thriving story theme. It was great working alongside a talented set of directors and collaborating with Netflix for this anthology.”