Dasvidaniya

I went to watch Dasvidaniya after some colleagues specifically warned me against viewing a film that dared to explore a subject as morbid as death. I must confess that Vinay Pathak was the sole reason for inspiring such bravado and he mercifully helped me retain the modicum of hope I continue to harbor for Bollywood (I mean, they did come out with Dostana, didn't they?)

Contrary to all the feedback I'd received prior to the film, I found it reveling in life. It was a splendid exposition of living our dreams while the clock ticks away to its inevitable showdown with the greatest leveler life has seen - death. It made me wonder, just why are people so fascinated with death for its certitude lends a certain level of mundane halo to its aura. Its life that one should explore in all its reverie of uncertainty. Its life that should pique our interests, for its in life that the "Amar Kaul in all of us thrives".
The film explores the life of Amar Kaul, a decrepit soul bludgeoned into submission by the forces that be of life. The final straw comes when "a minor stomach problem" translates into a terminal case of stomach cancer giving him only three months to live. The deadline should have been the knockout punch. Instead, it invigorates him to take on life with a zeal that knew no equal. So, Amar embarks on his ensemble of wishes (which previously comprised of repairing geysers and getting all vegetables except for turrai - whatever that means) that takes him on a foreign trip to meet his best friend, fall in love with a Russian courtesan, buy a new car (with a payback of three months EMI), take up guitar classes to play for his mum (who promptly summons a witch doctor when she learns of Amar's condition), pour a bottle of cold drink all over his boss in an act of unparalleled defiance and a few more whose beauty lay in its simplicity.

The film scores in numerous areas, notable among which are the performances from the lead and the support cast as well as a well written script but what takes the icing is the foundation of its thought process. The inherent message, that life is beautiful and we only need to stretch our thoughts beyond the humdrum of our own interpretation of 'success/fun' to realize the simple joys in watching the sun come down and feel the caress of the balmy breeze on our faces. As Amar quotes poignantly from the balcony of his flat overlooking a magnificent view " You know, I took this flat for this view thinking that every day, I will come back from office and stretch my legs while sipping on to my evening tea. In all these years never once have I been able to do so. I came to this balcony to take my towel and all I noticed were the stains therein. Now, I sit here every day and watch the fountain come up and the kids frolicking in pure bliss. Life can be very beautiful".

I couldn't have agreed more!