Unpaused is an Indian Hindi-language anthology film consisting of five short segments directed by Raj & DK, Nitya Mehra, Nikkhil Advani, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Avinash Arun.[1] With an ensemble cast, the stories revolved around lives of people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] It premiered on 18 December 2020 on Amazon Prime Video.[3]
A sequel series titled Unpaused: Naya Safar, with segments directed by Nupur Asthana, Ayappa KM, Ruchir Arun, Shikha Makan, and Nagraj Manjule, and produced by Pink Window Productions, Early Man Film, Chalkboard Entertainment, The Three Film Company, and Aatpat Films, was released on Prime Video in January 21, 2022.
Cast
Glitch (Raj & DK)
- Gulshan Devaiah as Ahan Awasthi
- Saiyami Kher as Ayesha Hussain
Apartment (Nikkhil Advani)
- Richa Chadda as Devika Khanna
- Ishwak Singh as Chirag
- Sumeet Vyas as Sahil Khanna
Rat A Tat (Tannishtha Chatterjee)
- Rinku Rajguru as Priyanka
- Lillete Dubey as Archna
Vishaanu (Avinash Arun)
- Abhishek Banerjee as Manish
- Geetika Vidya Ohlyan as Seema
Chaand Mubarak (Nitya Mehra)
- Ratna Pathak Shah as Uma
- Shardul Bharadwaj as Rafique (Auto Driver)[4]
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Payal Dev, Parth Parekh, Shishir A Samant and Gaurav Kadu with lyrics written by Rashmi Virag, Kunaal Vermaa, Ginny Diwan, Traditional and Gaurav Kadu.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nayi Dhoop" | Rashmi Virag | Tanishk Bagchi | Zara Khan | 3:21 |
| 2. | "Ummeed Hai" | Kunaal Vermaa | Payal Dev | Jubin Nautiyal | 2:42 |
| 3. | "Badarva" | Ginny Diwan | Parth Parekh | Madhubanti Bagchi | 1:57 |
| 4. | "Chaap Tilak" | Traditional (Amir Khusrau) | Shishir A Samant | Shishir A Samant, Sunil Kamath | 3:10 |
| 5. | "Nayi Dhoop" (Reprise) | Rashmi Virag | Tanishk Bagchi | Zara Khan | 3:19 |
| 6. | "Mujh Mai Hai Tu" | Gaurav Kadu | Gaurav Kadu | Fiddlecraft, Gaurav Kadu | 3:15 |
| 7. | "Rastey" | Gaurav Kadu | Gaurav Kadu | Fiddlecraft, Gaurav Kadu | 1:58 |
| Total length: | 19:42 | ||||
Critical reception
Debasree Purkayastha of The Hindu mentioned that the film has "a stirring ensemble of slice-of-life tales that dwell on the common themes of loneliness, love and hope."[6] Saibal Chatterjee from NDTV wrote: "As a freewheeling rumination on loneliness, distress and lingering hope, the anthology, buoyed by a slew of terrific performances, is a pertinent commentary on a pandemic and its depredations."[7]
Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in praised the performances in the film but was critical of the treatment.[8] Writing for The Indian Express, Shubhra Gupta noted that the film mixes different themes like loneliness and isolation "with news that has made headlines in this terrible virus-laden year, with average results."[9] Anna M. M. Vetticad wrote: "Unpaused is important because it serves to chronicle this slice of history. It helps that it is also an enjoyable, insightful affair."[10]
References
- ^ "WATCH: 'Unpaused' trailer: Friendship, hope in Amazon's anthology". The New Indian Express. 9 December 2020. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ Jhunjhunwala, Udita (20 December 2020). "Unpaused on Amazon Prime: Actors, creators of the anthology discuss using the 'lens of hope' in telling their stories". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ "'Unpaused' Critics' Review: Anthology Finds Hope in a Pandemic". The Quint. 19 December 2020. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ "An anthology film, Unpaused, relives the pandemic". Tribuneindia News Service. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Unpaused (Music from the Prime Original Series)". Amazon Music. 18 December 2020. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ Purkayastha, Debasree (19 December 2020). "'Unpaused' review: Fighting the pandemic, one feel-good story at a time". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (18 December 2020). "Unpaused Review: Anthology Of Lockdown Stories Is Highly Recommended". NDTV. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ Ramnath, Nandini (18 December 2020). "'Unpaused' review: Amazon Prime Video anthology film finds the rainbow in the Covid-19 storm". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ Gupta, Shubhra (19 December 2020). "Unpaused review: A middling anthology". Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ MM Vetticad, Anna (18 December 2020). "Unpaused movie review: Young and old, poor migrants and the lonely rich share space in a pleasant pandemic anthology". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.