In times when the big banners disappoint and the obvious ones turn out to be the unexpected, a film played its subtle chords and rendered itself in the most touching manner to leave the viewer pleased, satisfied and moved. 'Dasvidaniya' achieves more than what the big films fail to. It moves you with only its simplicity and sincerity. Loosely based on the premise of Anand and Bucket List, Dasvidaniya (Russian for 'Goodbye') is an inspiring film that is not even epic in proportions mainly due to its simple nature and outstanding performances with Vinay Pathak being the unequivocal re-discovery of the year. This film is a surprise
. And a very pleasing one.
Amar Kaul (Vinay Pathak) is the symbolic 'loser'. The below average introvert who always gets pushed around or dominated, neglected and lost in the very simplicity of life with aspirations hidden behind the veil of the mundane routines of his life. He is your most unfashionable accounts manager in a private company whose insatiable boss simply reminds Amar of his lowly existence. At home, his half deaf mother lives with a struggling remote to the soap opera infected T.V., always whining, always complaining. While Amar's life is what one can easily identify with because we have known such 'losers' in life, we are surprised by his humble and tolerant nature to the events and people in his life. One day, he discovers that his life will no longer be the same as it has been and before it gives up on him, he should live it up to the very end. 'Iske pehle ki life tumhe kha jaaye, tum zindagi ko pee jaao' is what was suggested to him at a bar. Amar's self appears in front of him and reminds him that fixing the bathroom geyser or putting new batteries in the T.V. remote are not items worthy of his life's list of things to do. Thus, Amar enlists 10 real aspirations and pursues each one with all that he has.
One cannot really tell what the most beautiful aspect of the film is that makes it so heart warming. Is it the story telling or is it Amar's character that Pathak enacts so brilliantly? Debutant director Shahant Shah leaves us overwhelmed with his presentation style that makes the film classy in its own sense while being simple enough with the story telling. The film just flows through to your heart effortlessly and it strikes the right chord that will leave you with a lump in the throat at times or giggling away at the jokes it throws at you. As Amar sets out on his journey to accomplish his aspirations, he faces challenges that throw the reality of life at him but his spirit of living it up enables him to confront that reality with a smile. He is very practical in situations and realistic in dealing with the truth about his life. The subtlety connects to your emotional side and you fall in love with the simpleton 'loser'.
While the film centers around Vinay Pathak, who leaves us astounded with the most remarkable and definitive performance of his career as well as this year, there are some special characters that are worthy of a mention because they have been played by some fine actors. Neha Dhupia is refreshing as Amar's childhood love, his 'chaddi' pal Rajiv (Rajat Kapoor) is at his fine form yet again after the duo split us in laughter in Bheja Fry, Sarita Joshi plays the role of the eccentric mother convincingly with just a few shades of overacting when her son buys a new car
. .Vivek, the estranged brother, the boss played by Saurabh Shukla, Ranvir Shorey as the funky frequenter at the bar and Joy Fernandes in a convincingly hilarious role of 'Savio', the Guitar teacher.
Kailash Kher's melodies are soothing and suit the film's different moods.
The script, dialogues and screenplay with the touch of humour make this film a pleasant story rather than a serious drama and Shashant Shah's direction simply puts all the fine elements together to portray this touching tale in the finest presentation format. Hearts will be warmed with the subtle touches, tears will be shed for the resemblances, laughter will roar after funny dialogues and while one acknowledges the pleasant aspects of this film, the revelation of Vinay Pathak's finesse will only add to the cherishable experience of Dasvidaniya. - 9.09 on a scale of 1-10.
