Ajeeb Daastaans is not a happy film; it is a realistic and sometimes cynical look at human desires. Each story ends on a note of moral ambiguity—showing that in life, choices are rarely black and white. The "strange tales" are essentially about people finding strange, often uncomfortable ways to cope with their loneliness and desires.
Ajeeb Daastaans (2021) is a Netflix Hindi anthology film produced by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment. The film brings together four distinct short stories, each helmed by a different director, to explore the complexities of human relationships through themes of class, caste, sexuality, and moral ambiguity. The Four Stories Majnu Shashank Khaitan Jaideep Ahlawat, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Armaan Ralhan Loveless marriage, political liaisons, and revenge. Khilauna Nushrratt Bharuccha, Abhishek Banerjee, Inayat Verma
Class divide and the struggle for survival with a shocking twist. Geeli Pucchi Neeraj Ghaywan Konkona Sen Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari Intersectionality of caste, gender, and sexual identity. Ankahi Kayoze Irani Shefali Shah, Manav Kaul, Tota Roy Chowdhury Love, acceptance, and the language of silence. Plot Overview & Highlights
The anthology is known for its "ajeeb" (strange) twists that often subvert expectations.
A unifying thread across Ajeeb Daastaans is the refusal to provide moral closure. In traditional Hindi cinema, the "fallen" woman is punished, and the virtuous wife is rewarded. This anthology rejects that binary. Download - Ajeeb Daastaans -2021- Hindi Netfli...
Ajeeb Daastaans (2021) is a Hindi-language Netflix original anthology film that explores the fractured nature of human relationships through four distinct stories. Each segment delves into themes like social class, gender, caste, and hidden desires, often ending with a sharp, unexpected twist. The Four "Daastaans" (Stories)
Majnu (Directed by Shashank Khaitan): A wealthy couple is trapped in a loveless, politically motivated arranged marriage. Their lives are upended by the arrival of a handsome new employee, leading to a cycle of jealousy and revenge. Cast: Jaideep Ahlawat, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Armaan Ralhan.
Khilauna (Directed by Raj Mehta): A street-smart housemaid struggles to secure a better future and electricity for her younger sister in a harsh urban environment. The story builds toward a shocking crime involving the neighborhood's elite. Cast: Nushrratt Bharuccha, Abhishek Banerjee, Inayat Verma.
Geeli Pucchi (Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan): Widely considered the standout segment, it follows Bharti, a factory worker facing discrimination due to her caste and gender. She forms an unlikely, complex bond with a new, more privileged colleague. Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari. Ajeeb Daastaans is not a happy film; it
Ankahi (Directed by Kayoze Irani): A mother struggling with her daughter's hearing loss and a failing marriage finds solace in a connection with a deaf-mute photographer. The story focuses on communication beyond spoken words. Cast: Shefali Shah, Manav Kaul, Tota Roy Chowdhury. Critical Reception
Reviewers from The Indian Express and The Hindu generally praised the anthology for its stellar performances, particularly those of Konkona Sen Sharma and Shefali Shah. While "Geeli Pucchi" received near-universal acclaim for its depth, some critics felt the earlier segments relied too heavily on shock value.
The film introduces us to Aarav (Pavail Gulati), a lonely, tech-support worker living in a sterile Mumbai apartment. His only light is Rohan (Babil Khan), a vlogger who preaches digital minimalism and authentic living. Rohan is the quintessential "sincere influencer"—his videos are shot in golden hour light, his voice a soothing balm against urban anxiety. Aarav consumes Rohan’s content not as entertainment, but as scripture.
Chaubey masterfully dissects the parasocial relationship—a one-sided emotional bond where the fan feels intimacy while the idol remains unaware. Aarav knows Rohan’s favorite books, his childhood traumas, his laugh lines. He has downloaded every video, every vlog, every stray Instagram story. The title Download operates on two levels: the literal act of saving files to a hard drive, and the psychological act of absorbing another human being’s curated persona until it overwrites one’s own. A unifying thread across Ajeeb Daastaans is the
Unlike the characters in Ajeeb Daastaans, who are trapped by economic or social reality, Aarav is trapped by digital reality. His cage has no bars—only a high-speed Wi-Fi connection.
The rise of Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms in India has catalyzed a shift in cinematic storytelling, moving away from the grand, often regressive family dramas of mainstream "Masala" cinema toward more intimate, niche narratives. Ajeeb Daastaans (2021), directed by Shashank Khaitan, Raj Mehta, Neeraj Ghaywan, and Kayoze Irani, serves as a prime example of this evolution. The title, translating to "Strange Tales," sets the expectation for narratives that defy conventional resolution. This paper posits that the anthology serves as a social critique of the Indian bourgeoisie, specifically focusing on the silence and suppressed desires of women trapped within the performance of modernity.
Abstract This paper examines the 2021 Hindi anthology film Ajeeb Daastaans, produced by Dharmatic Entertainment for Netflix India. The film is analyzed through the lens of modern Indian feminism and the "anthology format" popularized by streaming platforms. By deconstructing the four short films—Majnu, Khilauna, Geeli Pucchi, and Ankahi—this study explores how the anthology subverts traditional Bollywood tropes regarding marriage, class, and sexuality. The paper argues that Ajeeb Daastaans uses the "strange tale" format to expose the inherent fragility of domestic spaces and the complex, often amoral choices of its female protagonists.