Stories on the Next Page is an anthology short film comprising 3 stories, released on Disney+ Hotstar on 6 May 2022. Each story is distinct from the other but they all deal with subjects & emotions that need closure. The film is written and directed by new director Brinda Mitra with co-writer Senjuti Mahato, also credited as a lyricist in the film.
The film stars Abhishek Bannerjee, Ditipriya Roy, Namit Das, Bhupendra Jadawat, Veebha Anand, Renuka Shahane, Rajeshwari Sachdev and Syed Raza in respective order. The film has a runtime of about 38 minutes and is available in Hindi only.
-Stories on the Next Page Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-
Story 1: Balloo & Mowgli
The film stars Abhishek Bannerjee (Balloo) & Ditipriya Roy (Mowgli) as siblings who are mourning their mother’s death. But apart from that, there’s something else, a painful secret that has left them unsettled. Dealing with a personal loss like someone dear’s death is hard enough but when they have to confront a shocking revelation about their life and family as well, it has left them struggling in denial.
Through various arguments and questioning their own identities, they slowly try to understand what has been told to them after all these years. By dealing with their personal differences they realise that they can only come to terms with what stands before them by being together and comforting each other.
Story 2: Reunion
Was your college life always fun and amazing or are there some things that you regret and wish you could do over? This is the question that is dealt with in this story starring Bhupendra Jadawat as Abhinav Srivastava and Namit Das as Angad Singh. The story starts with Abhinav being nervous and anxious about something which is later revealed to be his college’s alumni meet.
There he meets the start alumni of the college, Angad Singh, who is also a best selling author. They indulge in a conversation that leaves both of them filled with emotions that they had repressed deep in their heart. They both had very different college experiences but there’s one thing that connects both of them, which is also the cause of their pain.
What started as a meet by chance turns into an encounter that was meant to be. Through their conversation, they reveal the unspoken truth of their lives which haunted them for years and hope they can find closure at the end of it.
Story 3: Sunshower
The last story starts with Ira Iyer (Renuka Shahane) trying to decide what to wear for something that we presume is important to her, but also makes her anxious. She asks for her son, Neel’s (Syed Raza) help in deciding on the outfit which will make her look good to the person she is about to meet. The person turns out to be Nikhat (Rajeshwari Sachdev) with whom Ira had lost touch in the last 27 years.
Their meet after all these years is filled with awkward start and long silences because they don’t know where to even start from. But once they realise that their heart is in the same place, the feelings are let out in the open and many things are revealed that they had kept hidden from each other.
Final Thoughts: Accept, Forgive and Restart
Stories on the Next Page on Disney+Hotstar is a heartwarming and relatable film that deals with the complex layers of emotions in every story. Its motto is to accept whatever has happened in the past be it good or bad and forgive those who have hurt us by expressing your thoughts and hearing theirs. Lastly and hopefully, through all that you might be able to get closure on one chapter of your life, ushering you to start a new story on the next page.
Stories on the Next Page is streaming on Disney+Hotstar.
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