‘Unpaused: Naya Safar’ Review: A Very Nuanced And Intricate Exploration Of The Human Experience During The Pandemic
The human experience is a very extraordinarily ordinary one. While we all have shared experiences, traumas and happiness’, what makes it unique is how we each perceive them and live through them. I believe that very few storytellers can capture the beauty that the mundanity of everyday life. Last year, Amazon Prime Video gave us an anthropology series of 5 short films called Unpaused. They are back this year with Unpaused: Naya Safar. The new installation has brilliant directors such as Nupur Asthana, Ayappa KM, Ruchir Arun, Shikha Makan and Nagraj Manjule. The show has a brilliant star cast of Shreya Dhanwanthary and Priyanshu Painyuli (The Couple), Geetanjali Kulkarni, Rasika Agashe, Purnanand Wandhekar and Sharvari Deshpande (War Room), Saqib Saleem, Ashish Verma and Sam Mohan (Teen Tigada), Darshana Rajendran, Shikha Makan; starring Neena Kulkarni, Darshana Rajendran and Lakshvir Singh Saran (Gond Ke Laddu), Nagraj Manjule, Arjun Karcher and Hanumant Bhandari (Vaikunth).
Unpaused: Naya Safar navigates the lives of the common man during the pandemic and highlights the nuances and intricacies of human pain and suffering. So without spoiling too much of the show, let’s discuss the 5 short movies in Unpaused: Naya Safar
The Couple: Nupur Asthana | Shreya Dhanwanthary and Priyanshu Painyuli
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This one surprised me, not gonna lie. When it started out I thought it will be some day-to-day routine of a working couple during the pandemic. However, it subverted my expectations. It very clearly highlights the problem and fear of losing your job during the pandemic. The Couple also altered gender roles in the best possible way (which I suggest you watch to understand).
It also shows that not every big fight in a relationship does not have to be because of something necessarily serious or something that will lead to the relationship ending. The Couple in Unpaused: Naya Safar reminded me of how frustrations from different aspects of one’s individual life can seep into your relationships and how important it is to give each other space and the benefit of the doubt. Definitely worth watching.
War Room: Ayappa KM | Geetanjali Kulkarni, Rasika Agashe, Purnanand Wandhekar and Sharvari Deshpande
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This one touched my heart. While the end wasn’t on the nose like the others, it was still satisfying to watch. Geetanjali Kulkarni plays a frontline worker in a Covid wardroom who is responsible for allocating hospital beds to those who need them. However, she is originally a teacher.
War Room as a title is a satisfying pun and the plot of the movie lives up to what it implies. It deals with the stress a frontline worker goes through on a daily basis. It also focuses on one’s personal interests that can conflict with their job. War Room very subtly highlights the differences between those in power and the frontliners who actually have to rough it out during the pandemic and this movie in Unpaused: Naya Safar has my whole heart.
Also Read: Unpaused Review: This Pandemic Anthology Is Like A Warm Hug For All Our Touch-Deprived Souls
Teen Tigada: Ruchir Arun | Saqib Saleem, Ashish Verma and Sam Mohan
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Teen Tigada was a mystery to me and I don’t mean it in a bad way. It shows 3 characters coming together to be the middlemen for stolen goods worth 60 lack rupees which they are going to make money from. Each of them has different reasons for wanting the money and all of them are deep-rooted in their own personal motives and desperations.
Without glorifying any illegalities, Teen Tigada has shown us the flip side of the coin and how each and every one of us is just trying to survive in the best way we know how to. Ruchir Arun has highlighted the effects that desperation and trauma can have on a person and what these things can push one to do. It also showcases how these very experiences can help you bond with the people around you. Teen Tigada from Unpaused: Naya Safar highlights the similarities of human experiences and while many of them break you inside, they help you make unexpected friendships along the way.
Gond Ke Laddu: Shikha Makan | Neena Kulkarni, Darshana Rajendran and Lakshvir Singh Saran
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Oooooh this one I was super excited for and it lived up to my expectations! Gond Ke Laddu shows Neena Kulkarni as a new grandmother who cannot travel to meet her granddaughter due to the pandemic. To be honest, her character reminded me of my nani who I lost last year. She is shown trying to figure out how the internet works and how she can send a courier of gond ke laddu to her daughter. The way she tries to navigate technology is so adorable! Gond Ke Laddu also shows the plight of delivery men and courier boys making the viewers empathise with the working conditions that they have to live with. However, the end of the movie is so wholesome, I can’t! Gond Ke Laddu was definitely one of my favourites in Unpaused: Naya Safar.
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Vaikunth: Nagraj Manjule | Nagraj Manjule, Arjun Karche and Hanumant Bhandari
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Director Nagraj Manjule acts in his movie Vaikunth. The story revolves around a crematorium worker (also known as a chandaal) who is a single father and his father is admitted due to being infected by the virus. Vaikunth kinda shook me to my core and honestly? Made me tear up. It shows the pain and anguish of so many people who lost their loved ones to this pandemic. Most of the movie is set in the crematorium and the constant handling of bodies and cremations is jarring and eye-opening. It also shows us the situation from a perspective of a chandaal. The way the movie brings out the contrasts and the intricacies of life and death is simply breathtaking, in my opinion.
Unpaused: Naya Safar honestly exceeded whatever my expectations were. I am a sucker of real, common man stories and Unpaused: Naya Safar gave me exactly that. The series kinda made me feel connected to the world in the sense that it reminded me that no matter how different we are as individuals, the pain, suffering and anxiety that the pandemic has caused has altered us all. And as bleak as that sounds, I find that whole concept comforting.
Unpaused: Naya Safar does not mean to make you sympathise with the characters (although a little is inevitable) but empathise with them. I believe that it is meant to make you feel connected to the world by the shared trauma of the pandemic. It is meant for you to relate to these characters and their predicaments; making you feel a little hopeful with realistic expectations using the conclusion of each movie. This show will open your eyes to a lot but will also feel like a warm hug towards the end, giving you a feeling of comfort that everything will be okay. The pandemic has been harsh on us all, I feel like we can all benefit from a little optimism and hope to look forward. Definitely give Unpaused: Naya Safar a watch, I am certain you will love it!
Unpaused: Naya Safar is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
First Published: January 21, 2022 2:12 PM
