Years
ago,
Hrishikesh
Mukherjee's
ANAND
narrated
an
interesting
tale
of
a
man
living
his
life
to
the
fullest,
despite
being
well
aware
of
his
impending
death.
Dasvidaniya,
directed
by
debutante
Shashant
Shah,
narrates
a
similar
tale.
Here,
the
protagonist,
well
aware
that
the
clock
is
ticking,
intends
realising
his
'Top
10
things
to
do
before
I
die'
list.
Bears
an
uncanny
resemblance
to
THE
BUCKET
LIST
[2007;
Jack
Nicholson,
Morgan
Freeman]?
Slightly
perhaps,
but
that
could
be
coincidental.
What
makes
Dasvidaniya
watchable
for
the
Indian
viewer
is
the
fact
that
it
portrays
the
emotions
of
a
common
man
really
well.
You
identify
with
the
person
and
the
pain
he
goes
through.
Sensitively
treated
with
a
bravura
act
by
Vinay
Pathak,
Dasvidaniya
makes
you
smile
at
several
points,
even
shed
tears
[the
emotional
quotient
is
quite
strong],
but
most
importantly,
reiterates
the
fact
that
life's
a
bubble
that
can
burst
any
time.
However,
there's
a
flip
side
as
well.
For,
the
film
has
an
erratic
pace
and
not
all
chapters
are
as
interesting.
That
dilutes
the
impact
to
an
extent!
Shy
and
quiet
Amar
[Vinay
Pathak]
lives
a
mundane,
run-of-the-mill
life.
His
existence
is
non-existent
to
people
around
him.
His
innocence
and
obsession
for
making
his
daily
'To-Do-List'
every
morning
is
what
motivates
him
to
look
forward
to
the
next
day.
Then,
one
day,
a
doctor
tells
him
that
he
will
die
within
three
months.
He
is
diagnosed
with
cancer.
Thus
begins
a
journey
of
a
lifetime
for
Amar,
where
he
sets
out
to
write
his
final
list.
The
10
things
to
do
before
he
dies.
A
simple
plot
is
treated
with
a
lot
of
sensitivity
by
debutante
director
Shashant
Shah.
Watch
Vinay
finally
mustering
up
courage
and
confronting
his
boss
[Saurabh
Shukla].
It
brings
a
smile
on
your
face.
Watch
Vinay
express
his
love
for
Neha
on
a
rainy
night.
The
silence
speaks
a
million
words.
Watch
Vinay
go
through
a
traumatic
time
when
he
overhears
the
conversation
between
Rajat
Kapoor
and
his
wife
Suchitra
Pillai.
And,
finally,
when
he
meets
his
brother
Gaurav
Gera.
If
the
story
strikes
a
chord,
Shashant's
execution
of
the
material
is
incredible
at
times.
But
writer
Arshad
Syed's
script
could've
been
tighter.
It
has
some
great
moments,
but
a
few
portions
[the
story
of
the
Russian
girl
and
also
the
guitar
teacher]
aren't
convincing.
However,
the
dialogues
are
wonderful.
They
sound
so
fresh.
Music
is
functional,
although
'Mumma'
is
soothing.
Vinay
Pathak
carries
the
film
on
his
able
shoulders
and
delivers
a
matchless
performance.
At
par
with
his
amazing
work
in
BHEJA
FRY.
The
film
has
a
number
of
characters
that
stand
out:
Saurabh
Shukla
[excellent],
Rajat
Kapoor
[good],
Ranvir
Shorey
[quite
funny],
Neha
Dhupia
[perfect],
Sarita
Joshi
[proficient]
and
Gaurav
Gera
[nice].
On
the
whole,
Dasvidaniya
is
engrossing
in
parts.
While
the
first
hour
works
well,
it's
the
second
part
that
turns
pale
due
to
its
slow
pacing
and
a
not-as-tight
screenplay.
Sure,
the
film
has
the
merits,
but
it
will
have
to
rely
on
a
strong
word
of
mouth
to
stay
afloat.