Vir
Das
Amit
Sahni
Ki
List
is
not
a
great
piece
of
cinema.
It
doesn't
aspire
to
have
any
lofty
heights
of
tragic
romanticism
(a
la
Ek
Villain).
Nor
does
it,
thankfully,
converge
on
a
neo-classic
film
of
the
past
to
derive
its
romantic
imagery
(a
la
Humpty
Sharma
Ki
Dulhania).
Vir
Das
Aka
Amit
It
is
what
it
is.
An
uncluttered,
elegantly
narrated
rom-com
about
an
inherently
flawed
hero,
so
confused
about
his
aspirations
as
a
romantic
entity
that
he
ends
up
wallowing
in
the
kind
of
giddy
romanticism
that
he
probably
abhors
in
the
movies
that
he
sees.
Investment
Banker
As
directed
by
Ajay
Bhuyan
(some
significant
talent
here),
the
life
and
loves
of
Amit
Sahni
is
both
a
celebration
and
mockery
of
romantic
idealism.
While
the
intelligent
witty
script
takes
satirical
swipes
at
Amit
Sahni,
it
also
makes
room
for
his
heart
to
grow
into
something
less
flighty
and
frivolous
than
what
flirty
films
about
desi
casanovas
tend
to
signify.
Vir
Das
And
His
Nagging
Mom
While
Vir
lords
over
the
lush
rom-com
landscape
(a
territory
surprisingly
liberated
of
vulgarity),
he
gets
some
solid
support
from
the
supporting
cast,
especially
Kavi
Shastri
who
is
terrific
as
Vir's
jockey-buddy
(langotiya
yaar).
It's
amazing
how
talented
the
hero's
friends
always
turn
out
to
be
in
our
movies.
There's
also
Anu
Menon
(remember
the
veejay
Lola
Kutty)
as
a
break
up
specialist
helping
Amit
ease
out
of
a
'perfect' relationship.
Priceless.
Vir
Das
And
His
List
Amit
Sahni
Ki
List
is
an
endearing
'roam' com
about
a
restless
Romeo
looking
for...ummm...love.
And
we
use
this
abused
term
with
a
giggle
since
there
is
an
astonishingly
short
supply
of
sex
in
Amit
Sahni's
epic
love
life.
For
all
his
back-handed
brashness,
is
our
hero
shy
of
making
love?
The
Smooch
Never
mind
the
sub-texts,
of
which
there
are
many
in
this
surprisingly
entertaining
nugget
of
a
film.
Just
enjoy
Amit
Sahni's
journey
from
a
romantic
heretic
to
a
helpless
believer
in
true
love
para-gliding
into
Chattisgarh
to
win
over
his
lost
sweetheart
(a
bit
of
Mani
Ratnam's
Saathiya
here).
Vir
The
journey
is
peppered
with
funny
exchanges
and
smart
swipes
at
contemporary
sexual
mores.
And
yes,
it's
very
eye-catchingly
shot
by
cinematographer
Maneesh
Chandra
Bhatt
whose
camera
makes
routine
cafes
and
streets
in
the
metropolis
appear
rejuvenated.
Emotional
Amit
A
word
about
Vir
Das,
who
grows
with
every
performance.
Here
he
is
vibrant
and
woeful,
frivolous
and
deep
all
at
once.
Watch
him
in
that
sequence
where
he
runs
into
his
former
girlfriend,
now
pregnant.
As
she
tells
him
why
she
dumped
him,
Vir's
face
registers
a
deep
embarrassment.
Luckily
the
film
never
needs
to
run
into
any
mortifying
roadblocks.
It's
a
smooth
ride
all
the
way.
From
Amit
Sahni's
Ms.
Perfect
(Anindita
Nayar,
tres
chic)
to
his
Miss
Imperfect's
pet
dog,
every
character
here
has
a
mind
of
its
own.
Ditto
the
film.
It
has
a
heart
and
brains.
Go
for
it.