The trailer of Amazon Prime Video’s anthology Unpaused Naya Safar arrived online Saturday morning and it is quite interesting. It comes after the overwhelming response of the first edition, Unpaused, which premiered on the platform in 2020 and will offer five Hindi short films.
Filmmakers Ruchir Arun, Nupur Asthana, Shikha Makan, Ayapa KM and Nagraj Manjule have teamed up for the anthology. that will premiere globally on 21st January 2022 in more than 240 countries and territories.
Featuring an ensemble cast including Saqib Saleem, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Neena Kulkarni and Priyanshu Painyuli among others, Unpaused: Naya Safar is a reminder that there is always light at the end of a dark tunnel.
The short films in the anthology –
● Teen Tigada directed by Ruchir Arun; starring Saqib Saleem, Ashish Verma and Sam Mohan.
● The Couple directed by Nupur Asthana; starring Shreya Dhanwanthary and Priyanshu Painyuli.
● Gond Ke Laddu directed by Shikha Makan; starring Neena Kulkarni, Darshana Rajendran and Lakshvir Singh Saran.
● War Room directed by Ayappa KM; starring Geetanjali Kulkarni, Rasika Agashe, Purnanand Wandhekar and Sharvari Deshpande.
● Vaikunth directed by Nagraj Manjule; starring Arjun Karche and Hanumant Bhandari.
Teen Tigada director Ruchir Arun said in a press statement “Unpaused: Naya Safar anthology boasts of compelling narratives, showcasing a multitude of emotions and we’re really excited to bring our film as part of this anthology. With Teen Tigada, our effort was to highlight the threshold of human emotions, amidst the tribulations of an ongoing pandemic which hit us like a storm.”
Nupur Asthana, director of The Couple, said, “Layoffs were a glaring reality of the pandemic that hit professionals very hard the world over, leaving them uncertain and demotivated. The Couple captures the emotional upheaval and complexities caused by such a professional setback and how it impacts personal relationships between two people altering their realities.
Shikha Makan, Director, Gond Ke Laddu, said “We all worry for our loved ones living far away and look for means to connect and care for them even from a distance. And sometimes we find connections with strangers too. The idea of Gond Ke Laddu was to showcase the spectrum of human bonds, but with a twist.”
“War Room showcases the vulnerability of frontline workers who encountered unfavourable situations during the outbreak of the pandemic,” Ayappa KM, Director, War Room, said.
Nagraj Manjule, Director, Vaikunth, added “Unpaused Naya Safar anthology reflects on a range of emotions with each of its films, and Vaikunth adds on to this with a unique balance of gloom and hope, peppered with unpredictability.”