Gul, Reshma, Shahnaz, Jasmine, and a handful more are a bunch of women fueled by shiny hope and bound by compelling narratives. Shahnaz and Other Stories maps the lives of nine women from dramatically different worlds, each challenged by extraordinary circumstances. A young woman journeys across continents in search of the missing jigsaw piece from her past that will shape her identity. Another yearns to be reunited with her family, until one fateful day when she comes face to face with the person who abandoned her. A third has her dreams ground to the dust, betrayed by her true love. What is the one twist of fate that will visit each of these nine women? Will they rise above their difficult destinies? Vaishali Ghosh’s riveting storytelling packs these women’s narratives with cinematic drama and emotion, guaranteed to leave a lump in your throat. -Rajeev Masand, Film Critic