Starring: Udayan Banerjee, Akanksha D Sharma, Sukhesh Arora, Sukhesh Arora, Akanksha Dahiya, Gauri Dewal

Rated: 5.5/10

A group of guy next door youngsters, more men than women, star is this rather homely crime thriller which comes across more as theatre than as a film. It was rather refreshing to sit alongside the entire crew of the movie, clapping away at their own performances, as the film unfolded.

On the whole it is a happeningly different thriller where a bunch of seven suspects are being interrogated for a murder of their friend on stage during a show. Quite obviously, this is a low budget movie, but the director has done well to keep it chic nonetheless. It is adequately modern in its presentation and content delving into the young world of theatre artists where being gay, living-in, taking drugs and immersing in complete theatrics is the order of the day.

It is sad that such Bollywood ventures by newbies die under the weight of publicity needs and cinema openings and this one is no different. There is just one show happening in one of two theatres and there is so less pre-publicity that the film is being mistaken for a Hollywood thriller, thanks to its title.

However, it’s to the director’s credit that he keep the film on the edge, despite confining it to a dimlit interrogation room and grainy footage of the suspects being used as evidence. The film is not so much about the crime itself as it is about showcasing the life and times of young theatre enthusiasts, their behaviour, their cliches, their way of life. Somewhere in the middle of all this, there is a real killer and a real murder victim too.

In short, After The Third Bell is a good effort that will not be noticed by many.

Souce: http://www.dailypioneer.com/show-time/more-like-a-short-film.html