‘Life Stories’ review: An anthology of lived experiences in everyday struggles and relationships

The movie Life Stories, directed by Ujwal Kashyap, is an anthology of six interwoven narratives that throw light on the complexities of everyday life and its complexities from multiple perspectives. These themes of love, loneliness, friendship, and personal growth all develop from the nexus.

Story: The movie begins with a typical software office environment when a software employee books a cab, which then prompts the starting of five other loosely connected stories. All these stories are only connected through the common emotions and experiences. The first story is of a wife who belongs to the software industry but fails to celebrate her first wedding anniversary with her husband because of some commitment. The second story revolves around an old woman named Mangamma, who finds companionship with a pet dog that breaks the loneliness. In the third story, two old friends reconnect intimately.

The story also reflects a form of emotion between a schoolboy and his mother on how a child reacts when separated from his mother. As the stories move further, deeper themes of companionship, personal sacrifice, and human bond begin to be observed in the film, with each story conveying various moments of strife and victorious factors of life.

Performances: A very good performing cast makes the simple storyline of this film sensible and impactful. Surely, the beautiful actress wins your heart as Mangamma with the tender and heartfelt portrayal of an aged woman to whom a dog has been a source of solace. Devayani Sharma gets deeper into the role of a single mother going through crunching professional responsibilities along with the needs of her child for the first time in such a realistic and moving performance. Acting like a private bus conductor, the charm about Rajasekhar adds much to the performance. Satya comes across as a versatile individual, who transforms from a supposedly professional computer-geek to one taking solace in nature as well. Not to be forgotten are the child artists of this film, whose performances render emotional values to their respective stanzas.

Technicalities:

Life Stories get full marks on the technical side of things since the cinematic shooting was razor-sharp wherein gorgeous imagery of the Hyderabad surroundings has been captured. The camera work contributed to the overall value of the film's visuals, even making a mundane scene cinematic. Director Ujwal Kashyap intertwines tales in such a way that this film was refreshing complexity. The viewer becomes involved with the diverse, distinctive characters of various struggles and victories. The style of narration, coupled with the simplicity of the structure of the film, makes it an interesting piece that can evoke emotions

Background score was well composed to work with the narrative of each story as it adds to the sentimental value of this movie, especially the song which speaks of having a "bent of mind" as a gentle starter for the first story. The film editing is also smooth. It effectively makes the transition between the six stories fluid and coherent.

Analysis:

Life Stories is a stunning reflection of ordinary life; it brings the same ordinary people to the screen with universal problems. Simple on the premise, each story takes root and grounds the whole film and makes it feel truly intimate and relatable. Though there were minor flaws, nevertheless, this minor drawback does not negate the impact of the film.

In one word, Life Stories is a ride through the lives of many people on the emotional level, giving the audience a slice of life in its purest form. True to the heart, it certainly moves beyond an epic with hearty performances, thoughtful direction, and themes touching the heart of the people all over.

Rating: 3/5