Stories On The Next Page review: Tales involving complex relationships and deep conversations

Brinda Mitra’s 38-minute Disney+ Hotstar movie Stories On The Next Page is an anthology that comprises three micro-stories.

Written by Mitra and Senjuti Mahato, the stories, although unconnected, share a common theme about unusual relationships between two people that are laid bare through a mere conversation between them. 

Balloo & Mowgli:
This one tackles the complex bond between siblings Balloo (Abhishek Banerjee) and Mowgli (Ditipriya Roy). The two are bereaved. At the same time, they come to know a dreadful truth, which makes matters much worse for them.

Banerjee and Roy are pitch-perfect and appear like actual siblings who are confronted by issues. While Banerjee has the strong demeanour of an elder brother, Roy displays the vulnerability of a deeply-affected soul. 

Though this film isn’t as good as the other two, it’s not bad. There should have been more clarity so that the viewer could have felt more for the characters. Also, quite a few dialogues are in Bengali without subtitles, which compels one to revisit certain lines.  

Reunion:
Abhinay (Bhupendra Jadawat) lands up at the alumni meet of the college he dropped out of years ago. The chief guest is the famous author Angad Singh (Namit Das), an alumnus of the same institute. The two bump into each other and start a conversation. What looks like a chat between strangers turns out to be a much deeper exchange after a shocking discovery related to the past is touched upon.  

Like the other stories, this one also starts off casually. The main issue is brought up gradually and it slowly hits you. Jadawat’s performance is moving as he poignantly narrates his pain. Das, on the other hand, had to look unfazed despite feeling a mix of emotions inside and he does that convincingly. 

Sunshower:
This one is the best of the lot. The story starts off with a woman Ira (Renuka Shahane) asking her son Neel (Syed Raza) which saree of two would look best on her. But as the story unfolds, one gets to know its depth and is filled with emotions. Ira is about to meet Nikhat (Rajeshwari Sachdev), the person she was closest to, after ages. 

This isn’t an ordinary meeting. The narrative through simple dialogue between the two reveals the boldness of the tale. The end result is profound and moving. Shahane is thoroughly likeable as an honest yet hesitant mother. Sachdev gets the specific traits of her character perfectly. Raza might have a limited screen time but he succeeds in impressing you. His characterization also deserves credit for this.

Stories On The Next Page is being streamed on Disney+ Hotstar