Think about watching a water bottle falling and your quick thought is that your finest buddy would journey on it, damage themselves or die in a freak incident. Or when your fingers brush previous somebody you fancy, as a substitute of feeling the joys of attraction, you withdraw in horror — scared, panicked, teary-eyed. Whereas these may not be the common reactions of somebody with a wholesome mind, many amongst us, affected by psychological misery and anxiousness battle this every single day.
This World Psychological Well being Day, Sony Liv has dropped a brand new anthology sequence with six standalone tales on varied psychological distresses similar to obsessive-compulsive dysfunction (OCD), schizophrenia, consuming problems, post-traumatic stress dysfunction (PTSD), and extra.
What makes this present distinct from typical ones that contact upon real-life points, is that it ditches cinematic dramatization and data overload for a practical portrayal of how these points have an effect on the on a regular basis lives of people. The setup is relatable, and it feels that we have met these characters round us.
In these six completely different tales about psychological well being, we see a company worker fretting about energy, a teenage boy being bullied in his village, and a person reducing off his buddies after an unsightly breakup. Whereas a number of the tales begin proper from the distressing signs, others regularly ease into it.
Shivani Raghuvanshi suffers from obsessive-compulsive dysfunction in Malika Kumar’s The Every day Puppet Present (Episode 6)
The present presses on the commonality of such points and the way simply we undermine the numbers. It makes a cautious selection to select up tales throughout the financial strata, from financially struggling households and middle-class abodes to the higher middle-class and well-to-do clans. Though the present would not delve into the deeper particulars of problems, with every episode spanning roughly half an hour, it provides a good concept of what it is wish to dwell with a selected psychological well being dysfunction.
The story that I discovered the strongest was Sahaan Hattangadi’s Purple Duniya. The writing and the performances shine on this unpredictable story. Two minutes into the episode, we see a purple rubber duck floating in an condominium, flooded with water, vibing to rave music. Okay, Hattangadi, you might have my full consideration.
We then meet our precise protagonist, Raag (Tanmay Dhanania), a 30-year-old who misplaced his job and was dumped by his fiancé a number of months in the past. Since then, he has remoted himself and would not decide up the calls of his family and friends. Sounds darkish? Properly, this is the twist: he’s completely happy, energetic, and tremendous chill. He sees the world round him within the color of purple — site visitors lights, nameplates, and even vans — as he snakes by means of the roads on his bike at questionably excessive speeds and retains zoning out.
Tanmay Dhanania’s Purple Duniya (Episode 2) is an attention-grabbing illustration of psychological well being points in trendy instances
All through the episode, I discovered myself googling, attempting to decode the problem the episode was coping with. The story stored me invested all through and shocked me in direction of the tip. I want I might inform extra, however something that I say now could be a spoiler.
My subsequent favorite was Sumeet Vyas’s Caged, helmed by Danny Mamik together with Hattangadi. Right here we see the unlikely bond between Vyas, the city-returned son of the wealthiest man within the village, and a shy teenage boy performed by Mohammad Samad Tumbbad. The latter will get bullied round and is closely misunderstood and lonely. He needs to review literature, however his mother and father are forcing him to take up medication as a profession.
Mohammad Samad has given one of many best performances within the present
Each these characters are wrapped in inhibitions of their very own and discover solace in one another’s firm. All the episode is poetic and well-written. Samad’s efficiency is among the finest in your entire sequence. His feelings, inside struggles, and suffocation resonate although the display screen.
Subsequent was Shreyas Talpade’s Swagatam, the place he’s affected by schizophrenia. He not has a job, is supported by his spouse, and lives in a relentless paranoia of somebody chasing him. His situation hasn’t superior a lot that he hallucinates, however he cannot be left unattended and spends the day with a assist group through the day.
Sukriti Tyagi’s story provides a cautious portrayal of schizophrenic sufferers, treating them as people. The situation is portrayed by means of close to visible trickery, too. All of the scenes with Talpade have a boring yellowish tint to them. As quickly as he exits the display screen, every thing is brightly lit and vigorous. Swagatam additionally excels in displaying the struggles of households of schizophrenic sufferers, that suffer bodily, emotional, social, and monetary tolls. And whereas the story’s momentum retains ebbing, Tyagi’s therapy of the topic is entertaining and informative.
Shweta Basu Prasad has finished a powerful portrayal of a PTSD affected person in Aditya Sarpotdar’s Bhanwar (Episode 3)
Shweta Basu Prasad and Priya Bapat’s performances had been the highlights of the anthology. Each ladies, one from a village and the opposite from town, dread intimacy. They cry, shiver and even go breathless on the contact of the other gender. They play ladies affected by post-traumatic stress dysfunction, and their portrayal is among the finest I’ve seen in current movies on the topic. I want their episode — Bhanwar — knew extra about what to do with these superb artists.
Zindaginama has good intentions however is not in a position to sustain the momentum. Whereas some tales will communicate to you effortlessly, others will fail to maintain you invested. The latter ones really feel like an unfinished job, with a random slice of somebody’s life being introduced. Regardless of tackling vital themes and lesser-known points of psychological well being points tactfully, the present falters in execution. Movies and tv exhibits with social messages — particularly such delicate ones — have to stroll a skinny line, balancing info and data with leisure, so they do not appear preachy. That is how you retain folks glued whereas elevating consciousness a couple of taboo topic. As a result of what is the level of an informational present if an ignorant particular person will get bored and turns it off?
And it would not assist that the standard of tone of the six tales oscillate wildly with every episode. Whereas I actually wish to suggest a number of tales out of the anthology, the remaining could be simply skipped. Nonetheless, Zindaginama is an earnest try at normalising psychological well being points and humanising individuals who undergo from them, and it deserves appreciation for a similar.
Total Ranking: 6/10
Episodic Ranking:
Purple Duniya: 3.5/5
Caged: 3/5
Swagatam: 2.5/5
Bhanwar: 2.5/5
Puppet Present: 2/5
One Plus One: 2/5
