Its fixed, middle-aged simple looking paunchy guys do not make a hero, atleast not in Hindi movies. If they do, then the movie is a art movie where the central character (he is not a hero then) fights against the system/corruption/life/boredom and mostly loses.
Dasvidaniya is about one such guy which is not a art movie nor is about fighting the system or anybody. Its about a guy who has spent 37 years of his life living an uneventful life and then has only three months to live. So he decides to live life in those three months and do what he wanted to do his whole life.
Dasvidaniya is not “Kal Ho Na Ho” neither Vinay Pathak is Shahrukh Khan. He does not dances on the street, nor sings song, neither is he charming for the girl he loves. The girl he had loved all his life is already married so there is no love triangle either. There is not even a grand melodramatic dying scene at the climax.
The climax, it just happens without any tears, without any drama.
Dasvidaniya is about a man’s last 10 wishes before he dies and his journey to find himself.
So does the film works. To a large extent, yes! It does has its fault but to a certain extent, its good story telling, good cinema. Amar Kaul played by Vinay Pathak goes about fullfilling his 10 wishes, things he may have wanted to do including buying a car, taking a trip outside India, settling personal relation problem, meeting his childhood friend, telling his childhood friend that he had always loved her and falling in love.
However there are some lose ends. Amar Kaul looks like doing a very normal job of an accountant and can hardly afford to buy a car or a taking a foreign trip. He is too much of a simpleton without any anger or without venting his frustration.
But then except his mother, and no one to provide for after his death, some last wishes need to be fulfilled. He goes on his journey to fulfill these 10 wishes only to realize that he had not lived his life at all.
The story is not much and the end already known when the movie starts but when we say the journey is important, this is one movie where the journey is important and interesting. We watch Amar Kaul realizing his one wish after another. Although most of his dreams are not that big or extraordinary, they still seem to be difficult for Amar Kaul like falling in love or saying “I love You” to the one girl he had always loved his whole life. Although the particular scene bears a strong resemblance to a similar scene from “Love Actually”
Its not a rib-tickling comedy but it does have its moments. Like the time when he sees a girl hoping on to her boyfriend’s bike and he is sitting in the car. He pauses, looks frustrated and comments “Saala bike leni chahiye thi” (Should have taken a bike),Or venting his anger on his boss, Saurabh Shukla without shouting at all.
Its “Anand” all over again without the sad climax in the end. The story and the director has made sure that everyone leaves the theatre with a smile on their face.
There are many cameos like Saurabh Shukla as Amar Kaul’s boss or Ranvir Shorey as a drunkard or Rajat Kapoor as Amar Kaul’s childhood friend or Neha Dhupia as Amar Kaul’s childhood love and they fit right into the movie. They move the story forward.
Sarita Joshi as Amar Kaul’s fits into the role quite perfectly. After Vinay Pathak, she is the one memorable character in the movie.
Vinay Pathak is Amar Kaul to the last detail. He brings out the character of a simpleton who is dying. Its not a comedy role but still he brings humor in the movie in his own subtle way.
Dasvidaniya does not have big stars or great music or even an item number but it does have a heart.
Rating: 8/10
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[…] Pathak has perfected his Pinu Patel. He had similar roles in Dasvidaniya and maybe even Bheja Fry. He can just coolly walk in such roles […]