Darna Mana Hai, Darna Zaroori Hai, Salaam-e-Ishq, Life… in a Metro, Honeymoon Travels, Just Married and the more recent, Dus Kahaniyan. Bollywood’s latest trend is multiple stories in one film. In fact, the last flick is a step ahead. It’s a collection of short stories which have no connection whatsoever. The stories are even set in different time frames.

While many — filmmakers as well as movie buffs — have called it a bold and creative effort, the fact is that none of them has had a good box office run. “It’s like a new kid on the block. People will take time to warm to the idea,” says actor Naseer Abdullah. He thinks of these films as a good break from the regular formula.

“It’s like reading a book of short stories. It’s not too heavy. You take in one plot and move on to the next. Of course, not all plots are convincing, especially when more than one director is involved. But on the whole, it’s an interesting trend,” Naseer says.

Telly actor Rohit Roy, who not only acted in one of the 10 short films but also made his directorial debut with another, says he jumped at the idea when Sanjay Gupta approached him. “It’s a great way to give the audience a taste of different genres of story-telling. Be it Metro or Salaam-e-Ishq or Dus Kahaniyan , there’s a different feel to each of the stories. For a filmmaker, it’s a different challenge to tell a story in 10 minutes or even pack two or three plots into three hours.” And Rohit took up this challenge. “My story, Rice Plate, is not rocket science. It was a simple script about personal prejudice. I personally like films that have a subtle, underlying statement — not too preachy,” he says.

But the trend hasn’t gone down too well with some film freaks. “It is one of the most stupid films I’ve seen. I mean, what are the makers were trying to achieve?” asks actor Aditya, without mincing words. “A good director is one who can pen the perfect screenplay and narrate it in such a way that it holds the audience for the entire three hours.

Formula, songs, stunts and running around trees notwithstanding, in the end the script has to be convincing. Directors who make multi-story films obviously can’t do this,” Aditya says, adding, “All the viewer is thinking is, ‘two down and eight more to go’.”

Actor Bikram Saluja, who was part of the Just Married ensemble however, welcomes anything that’s out of the ordinary. “It’s nice to see filmmakers trying to break free. With the growing multiplex culture today, the chances of making new, experimental films and reaching out to the audience, are greater. There are hundreds of meaningless, love stories in Bollywood. It’s better to lead the pack by coming out with something unique, than following the tried and tested methods.”

He adds, “It all depends on how the story is put together and whether or not the director connects with the audience. It could be comedy, tragedy, love or a thriller, it’s the total sum that matters.”

Despite bad reviews and luke warm responses at cinema halls, the makers haven’t been discouraged from exploring this genre, that falls in line with Hollywood flicks like Love, Actually…, Babel, Crash and 21 Grams . Watch out for Dus Aur Kahaniyan and Mumbai 10 .