3 Storeys looks like an anthology film, and almost is, with the exception that the stories are indirectly tied together. A narrator takes you through the lives of inhabitants of a 3-storied chawl in Mumbai. These characters are from different walks of life and what makes them interesting are concepts of revenge and fate. Renuka Shahane plays an old Goan lady currently looking to rent her chawl flat for which she has quoted a price 4 times than its market rate; Masumeh Makhija's character is a victim of domestic abuse by her alcoholic husband and is startled to find her past coming back to her; and Aisha Ahmed is a naive, young woman in love with her neighbour, unbeknownst to the fact which her mother has been hiding from her for long. More than the stories themselves, what elevates the appeal of 3 Storeys is the moral of each story. I'm pretty sure that you are going to turn your head when you find out what Shahane's character is up to, as you would when you indulge in other characters and their realistic stories. The entire cast do a decent job in following director Arjun Mukerjee's cues as he takes them on a ride to say few things about this suspense story we call life. However, once you reach the climax, you get a feeling about the mediocre drama that you enjoyed while it lasted. While some characters are written well, others have shades of traditionalism; and at the end, it slowly moves to the territory of contrived drama, which had the editors cut out, would have made the whole broth tastier. In an attempt to give us happier endings, 3 Storeys sacrifices its art, making it a sweet little film that is just not great enough to talk about once you complete watching it. TN.



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