X: Past is Present Review

Bollywood has seen an array of directors come together to contribute different stories to make a single film and movies like ''Bombay Talkies'', ''Dus Kahaniyaan'', etc. are a few successful examples of the same. However, never have we seen as many as 11 directors and 11 writers come together to make various portions of a single story. ''X: Past Is Present'' is new in that way.

But, experiments do not necessarily prove to be a success every time. Well, this one certainly did not. Kishen aka K (Rajat Kapoor) is a successful filmmaker, who has had relationships with a number of women in his life and one night he realises how each one of them has helped him to become who he is today. The story is said in a single night, when he’s forced to revisit each of these women through flashbacks. The flashback of each woman is handled by a different director.

When there are many directors handling a different story, it is fine, but the involvement of so many directors in a single story makes it jerky and baffling. All the 11 directors; Abhinav Shiv Tiwari, Anu Menon, Hemant Gaba, Nalan Kumarasamy, Pratim D. Gupta, Q, Rajshree Ojha, Sandeep Mohan, Sudhish Kamath, Suparn Verma and Raja Sen, try their best to deliver a movie that is an intriguing enigma, however due to the difference in their style of helming and scripting too, it becomes a confusing affair with no such connectivity.

Out of all the 10 stories, it is only the ones featuring Parno Mitra, Swara Bhaskar & Gabriella Schmid that succeed in impressing us. The screenplay is non-linear, while the intangible cinematography works against the film. Editing is pathetic. Speaking of performances, Rajat Kapoor is not at his usual best. However, he does try hard to save the film. Aditi Chengappa supports Rajat''s character well. Swara Bhaskar and Radika Apte play their parts fine. Huma Qureshi hasn’t been given much screen place to showcase her expertise.

On a whole, a movie like this sure would have looked good on paper, but its execution just doesn’t work well with the viewers. Too many cooks do spoil the broth, we say.