After ‘Taare Zameen Par’, it is one movie which impeccably captures the nuances of human emotions minus star presence of the perfectionist Aamir Khan. However, at the small budget level, the actors justify the intricacies of the characterization. The movie starts with the boring mundane life of the common man living at your next door, brilliantly portrayed by Vinay Pathak. This poor chap in his late thirties stays in the apartment in Mumbai Suburbs with his eternally Soap Opera watching whimsical Mumma and bears the brunt of Boss with much submission and diffidence. He religiously makes ‘things to do’ list on yellow note pad for each day and checks and rechecks for umpteen times in a day. After few frames, he discovers that he has only three months to live. Well, one can think of numerous Anands and Kal Ho Na Hos, which have dealt with this subject and have glorified ‘the undying spirit of the dying man’. But here lies the difference! Unlike Anand and Aman, this Amar (satirically put name for a dying man) doesn’t have a larger than life persona; he doesn’t live rest of his life for others, but like any other common man, lives for pursuit of his unfetched dreams, which he slowly discovers as the story develops. He attains Nirvana in a very unique but very much identifiable way. His ‘Things to do before I die’ list on the page of same yellow notepad is a list of wishes which most of us can relate with… going on a foreign trip, learning guitar, owning a car, meeting your childhood best friend(Rajat Kapoor) …..confessing love to childhood sweetheart (Neha Dhupia).The protagonist has always lived under his shell and has always been receiving end of jerks from fellow passengers of local trains to the bullies of school goons as wells as the perpetually eating pot bellied Boss (hilariously portrayed by another Maestro Saurabh Shukla) develops his much opposite Alter Ego (which drives its characterization and costumes from Ranvir Shorey’s character in the movie). The progression through the movie shows the little endearing ways, he does his ‘things to do’ and immediately gives the tick mark to each one of them.
The movie combines high as well as low moments in its protagonist’s life, both so brilliantly and subtly assimilated with each other that you weep and laugh at almost same time. Story weaver has been successful in refraining from making the movie an out and out tear jerker. Whenever you feel there is little overflow of emotions and sadness, the strategically, but yet very subtly put tongue in cheek humor brings you back to light moment where you laugh at pure innocence characterization as well as comedy of errors in his life. Such an awesome blend of tragedy and comedy!
Vinay Pathak is definitely the show stealer. It was wholly his movie, and he has carried the whole movie on his shoulders very effectively keeping viewer glued to the screen. Over the years, He has developed knack of performing the ordinary characters of life in extra ordinary way. His dialogue delivery and expression of sensitivities of common man are so much adorable and consummate, that you can easily find one ‘Amar Kaul’ in your relation or neighborhood. Few of his scenes are poignant and yet so lovable that one can easily strike a chord with the character especially the scene where he expresses his love to Childhood love Neha Dhupia in Dumb Charades way under the rain. It is so intense and lovable that the delight he feels after confession of unsaid love actually brings same delight to the viewer, and thankfully it has not been brought to the point of being saccharine.
One other High point in the movie is character of Mumma of our dear Amar Kaul. She religiously watches Soap Operas juggling with the remote control buttons (as only buttons, she can deal with are Shirt Buttons!). Her eccentricity and authoritative tone is something, which not only shows strength of determination and hope in a long widowed lady but also makes you fall in love with very un-stereotypical mumma of Indian Cinema.
There are few scenes in the movie, which looks little bit clichéd. But when it comes to life and death, I believe, life becomes little that way and we can definitely forgive the story teller for few here and there faults. There are some similarities between Dasvidaniya and Hollywood movie ‘The bucket List’, but since I haven’t seen the movie, I was escaped from doing scene by scene investigations (well, thankfully!). However, Amar’s brief affair with Russian street walker and finding ‘love’ in his life was little incoherent with the script and could have been made more smooth with the storyline.
The movie, for a change doesn’t show death scene or even gradual deterioration of health of the protagonist, the end of the protagonist is just symbolized through black out of the frame. Climax is one of the high points in the movie where Protagonist gets to fulfill his one of the most coveted wishes in a hilarious and endearing way and Rajat Kapoor gives him 10/10 on his ‘Things to do before I do’ list in the end scene. Last, but not the least, his last and post death gesture of acknowledgement to all, whom he owed something in life reinstates the simplicities of the ordinary man. Indeed, the best goodbye ever!
