Recco of the week: Paris Je t'aime

LOVE AT LARGE: Each story in Paris Je t'aime deals with a different kind of love.

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You know what's the best thing about living in Mumbai? The fact that you can manage to catch just about any film that you've been wanting to - however obscure it may be. There's a very good chance you'll find it on DVD at one of these superb borrowing libraries that are scattered across the city, or if you're really lucky it'll end up being released theatrically.

Last year when I was at Cannes I'd heard about this film called Paris Je t'aime which translated into English means Paris, I love you. It's a collection of 18 short films by filmmakers from across the world, and like the title suggests, all films are about love and they're set in various different parts of the beautiful French capital. I'm a big fan of short films and I really wanted to see this picture but I missed it at Cannes.

Over the next few months I tried to find a copy on DVD but I never could. Eventually I gave up my search and forgot about the film. So imagine my surprise when I found out that the film was being released theatrically in some cities this week.

Having finally got a chance to watch the film at a preview earlier this week, I can safely say it's one of the best experiences I've had recently. Now I describe it as an experience, because it's not a conventional film. It is, in fact, an omnibus, an anthology of 18 films, each about five to seven minutes long, each directed by one of the finest filmmakers in the world, each set in one of Paris' most distinctive neighborhoods, and many starring very famous actors from across the globe.

There's Gurinder Chadha's short film Qais de Seine which is a very relevant comment on the foolishness of racial and religious stereotyping. There's also the typical unintended humour of Joel & Ethan Coen in their short film which stars Steve Buscemi as an American tourist who gets a taste of French hospitality in one of Paris' famous tube stations.

I was particularly moved by the very poignant story of immigrant servants in Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas' film, even the twist at the end of Alfonso Cuaron's film which stars Nick Nolte. Then there's the lovely romance between the American actress and the blind French boy in Tom Tykwer's film.

My favourite of all 18 films is the one called Quartier Latin that's directed by Gerard Depardieu and Frederic Auburtin - it's the one that stars Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara as an older couple who're about to get divorced, and it's really so beautiful because you can see these two know each other inside out, and they have such a vibe, and yet they're not meant to be together.

I think the beauty of Paris Je t'aime lies in the fact that although every one of these short films is about love, each deals with a very different kind of love and each is very heart-felt in their own way.

I'm going to strongly recommend that you watch this film if it's been released theatrically where you live, and if it hasn't then see if you can find it on DVD, I've been told it's finally available out on home video. If you live in Mumbai or one of the metros where Paris Je t'aime has been released theatrically, then remember, you are lucky, you're blessed.

Don't miss the opportunity to see this film. I think it will change your impression about short films, about foreign films. Most of these shorts are in French and they come with English sub-titles, but believe me, they're so warm and enjoyable, you will love them.