Forget the Bucket List.

Dasvidaniya may have the most hackneyed story line, told a million
times a man, dying of cancer, decides to live life before curtain call but it stands out because of
its sparkling performances, its sensitive approach and its life-like characterisations.

The heart and soul of the film undoubtedly is Vinay Pathak, who reinvents the quiet, submissive
common man, already dead with the weight of his dull, uneventful life. So much so, when he
discovers he has just three months to live, he wonders: have I been living at all? His flashy alter
ego (don't miss the red pointy shoes and the kitschy wig) tells him to take this terrible news as a
golden opportunity to stand up and fulfil all his dreams.

The boring account manager suddenly comes to life and does all the things almost every aam
aadmi wants to do. Like, standing up to a devilish boss, buying a red car, declaring your love to
someone you never dared to tell the truth, going on a foreign trip to spend time with your best
buddy, mending broken family ties, learning the guitar....

This quiet little film touches and moves you with its elegant dekko on the highs and lows of
ordinary, middle class life. But more than all this, it impresses you with its talented line-up of
performances. If Vinay Pathak pays a tribute to Raj Kapoor's shuffling tramp, then Saurabh
Shukla, Ranvir Shorey, Rajat Kapoor, Sarita Joshi, Neha Dhupia are all effective in their little
cameos.

A moving drama that will undoubtedly leave you with a lump in your throat, Dasvidaniya stars Vinay Pathak as
37-year-old simpleton Amar Kaul who lives with his eccentric mother in a small suburban apartment, and
works for a bully of a boss who barely looks up from his lunch while scolding him.
When a visit to a doctor for a routine stomach ache results in his finding out that he’s dying of cancer and has
only three months to live, Amar decides to make a list of everything he’d really like to do before his time is up.
Directed by Shashant Shah, Dasvidaniya is heartbreaking and humorous in equal measures. Despite several
missteps in the film’s second half – especially the scene in which Amar has an emotional breakdown when
abroad, extending into a short monologue in which he questions his fate; also all the mumbo-jumbo with
tantrics – Dasvidaniya still succeeds in coming off as well-intended and sincere.
Much of the credit for that must go to Vinay Pathak who delivers a measured performance as the cheerily
upbeat protagonist with an expiry date.
The film keeps you engaged not so much on the strength of its plot, as it does for the interesting characters
who inhabit it.
Sarita Joshi plays Amar’s cranky mother with a hearing problem, and she makes her one of the film’s most
loveable leads.
Saurabh Shukla is first-rate as Amar’s dosa-chomping boss; and Rajat Kapoor and Neha Dhupia as Amar’s
childhood friend and flame respectively never miss a beat.
Gaurav Gera, playing Amar’s younger brother is appropriately unobtrusive; and even Ranvir Shorey in only a
cameo is delightful.
Starting off on an inspired note, Dasvidaniya loses some of its steam in its second half; but when it’s not trying
to beat its own chest about what an honorable film it is, it’s actually quite poignant.
I’ll go with three out of five for director Shashant Shah’s Dasvidaniya. It’s emotional and sure to leave you
teary-eyed. Watch it, but take your tissue box with you.

Entertainment has played an important role in the life of human beings right
from the beginning. It has a soothing effect on the body and soul. Earlier there
were stage shows in the olden ages to entertain people but gradually due to the
advancement of technology, they have been replaced by movies. This review is
of the film” Dasvidaniya”. It was a film directed by Shashant Shah starring
Vinay Pathak, Neha Dhupia, Rajat Kapoor, Ranvir Shorey, Purbi Joshi and
Sarita Joshi.
Dasvidanya tells the story of simpleton, Amar Kaul (Vinay Pathak) who works
as an accounts manager in a pharmaceuticals company. Amar’s only
excitement in life is making a to-do list every morning and then ticking off
everything that he accomplishes at the end of the day. But unfortunately,
destiny has some other plans stored for him. He comes to know through his
doctor that he is suffering from stomach cancer and now only has just three
months left to live.
This news makes Amar wake up to the reality that how till now he has wasted
his life. Never mustered the courage to express his love, never brought a car
and never ever traveled abroad, Amar has so many unfulfilled dreams left! He
then sets about making a new to do list of 10 things. His last list of all the
things he has to do before he dies. From making a foreign trip to telling his
childhood love about his affections for her to meeting his best friend from
school with whom he has lost contact. The film then follows Amar’s journey
towards fulfilling his wishes which also take him nearer to his death.
The movie, though not based on a novel premise, works because of
actor Vinay Pathak ’s emphatic performance as a dying man with an ironic
name Amar, and because of the finely etched-out characters in the story. It
also works because the protagonist Amar Kaul is a simple, submissive man
who learns to live fully only when death stares at him in the face. It’s a
character that you empathize and sympathize with. It’s a character you laugh
and weep with. That precisely is what keeps you hooked to the screen even
when the movie hits a few bumps and begins to drag in the second half. First-
time director Shahant Shah does a neat job for the most part of the film but
botches up in the second hour.
It gives us a message …
“Death is the destiny we all share.”
The only thing prominent in the world is death. It is the only certain thing in
the world.
One should not waste one’s life by postponing his wants and things that he
wants to do. One should not look for happiness in the past or future but live to
the fullest extent in the present time. Live in the present and be free of the
complexities. Life becomes difficult without love. I personally believe that life
cannot be felt without love, so love yourself, your dreams fulfill them so that
you can die with the satisfaction that you have not wasted your life living
someone else’s life. In the last moments of your life you should have the
satisfaction that you have completely lived your life to the fullest extent.

It’s a sad sad sad world. Mousy man at the age of 37 is told that he doesn’t
have many more days to continue with his dull-dull-dull existence. So, he
draws up a kind of a laundry list of things to do. Alas, entertainment is not
one of them.

Instead, Mr Pathak takes off on a self-pitying trip which includes buying a

red car. Heavens, all those who want tomato-colour wheels, put up your
hands! None? Aah thought so.<b1>

Alas, the central idea is as familiar as your oldest T-shirt. It’s been done right
from Kurosawa’s Ikiru and Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand to the recent Jack
Nicholson tear-strainer The Bucket List. Truly, why narrate an oft-heard story
when you can’t equal it..not by any stretch of the imagination? In fact, the
tempo is so self-indulgently slow that you close your eyes, count sheep,
snore, wake up, count some more sheep and wake up..and then sprinkle some
water on your face. Mineral.

Next: Pathak drinks (booze), tells his boss to go jump in a well, beds a
Russian hooker (what to do with this man, really?), meets an overseas friend,
and learns to play the guitar maybe because he saw the promos of Rock On!!

Snag: you just can’t muster up enough empathy for Pathak who dominates
every frame as if he were a superstar. He’s a fine actor but this effort displays
so much footage of him that you wonder if he’s Laurence Olivier or De Niro.
To be fair, the direction by first-timer Shashant Shah is unusually low-key.
Still a negative virtue does not make for quality cinema.

On the acting front, Neha Dhupia as an old flame (what to do with this man,
really?), Rajat Kapoor as a buddy and Sarita Joshi as a TV-soap-manic mum
do their jobs efficiently. Pathak is efficient too. Come to think of it,
everything is so darn earnest and morose that when it all crawls to an end,
you’re quite relieved to say Dasvidaniy, Dasvidaniya. . Dasvi.. daniya.

If you were expecting Vinay Pathak’s latest film to be a comic caper, you are in for a
surprise.

“Dasvidaniya” is a bittersweet comedy about a man diagnosed with cancer and how he
spends the last three months of his life.

Heard that one before? It’s a subject Bollywood has dealt with in films like “Anand” and “Kal
Ho Naa Ho”. The 2007 Hollywood film “The Bucket List” also had a similar storyline.

But Shashant Shah’s “Dasvidaniya” gives the plot

some original twists. The film is the story of Amar
Kaul, a 37-year-old timid and lonely bachelor
living out a humdrum middle-class existence in a
Mumbai suburb.

Vinay Pathak, best known for his simpleton act in

the hit comedy ‘Bheja Fry’, plays Kaul with
consummate ease — bringing alive the plump,
bespectacled accounts manager with a penchant
for making things-to-do lists.

Life takes a U-turn for the good-natured protagonist when a routine visit to the doctor
reveals that he has stomach cancer.

Faced with the prospect of dying without having truly enjoyed life and egged on by his
flamboyant alter ego, Kaul makes his umpteenth list — things-to-do-before-I-die.
He quits his job, plucking up courage to settle a score with his obnoxious boss and embarks
in pursuit of his dreams — a shiny red car, a foreign trip, confessing his love to a childhood
crush, guitar lessons and reuniting with an estranged brother.

Sound like a tear-jerker?

Well, yes. But there are plenty of interesting characters to provide comic relief.

There’s Kaul’s mother, an eccentric old woman with a hearing problem and an addict to
soap operas on television.

There’s Kaul’s boss, the overweight owner of a pharmaceutical firm who spends his days
wolfing down junk food in the privacy of his cabin.

And there’s Kaul himself, a kind-hearted soul

who longs for love, friendship and some
meaning in his life.

“Dasvidaniya” derives its name from the

Russian word for ‘goodbye’, a fitting farewell
to the hero from the film’s only Russian
connection — which we won’t talk about.

The pace of the film does slacken in the

second half, but some brilliant acting and
poignant dialogues make up for its shortcomings.

Characters played by Rajat Kapoor, Neha Dhupia and Sarita Joshi are an effective foil to
Kaul’s bumbling persona. And Ranvir Shorey is impressive in his cameo as a habitual
tippler who bumps into Kaul at a bar.

It’s hard for a film without top Bollywood stars to make a killing at the box-office and
“Dasvidaniya” may soon share the fate of its unlucky protagonist.

But if you are in the mood to watch a heart-warming film with some splendid performances,
spending time with Amar Kaul and his acquaintances might not be a bad idea.

If you were expecting Vinay Pathak’s latest film to be a comic caper, you are in for a
surprise.

“Dasvidaniya” is a bittersweet comedy about a man diagnosed with cancer and how he
spends the last three months of his life.
Heard that one before? It’s a subject Bollywood has dealt with in films like “Anand” and “Kal
Ho Naa Ho”. The 2007 Hollywood film “The Bucket List” also had a similar storyline.

But Shashant Shah’s “Dasvidaniya” gives the plot some original twists. The film is the story
of Amar Kaul, a 37-year-old timid and lonely bachelor living out a humdrum middle-class
existence in a Mumbai suburb.

Vinay Pathak, best known for his simpleton act in the hit comedy ‘Bheja Fry’, plays Kaul
with consummate ease — bringing alive the plump, bespectacled accounts manager with a
penchant for making things-to-do lists.

Life takes a U-turn for the good-natured protagonist when a routine visit to the doctor
reveals that he has stomach cancer.

Faced with the prospect of dying without having truly enjoyed life and egged on by his
flamboyant alter ego, Kaul makes his umpteenth list — things-to-do-before-I-die.

He quits his job, plucking up courage to settle a score with his obnoxious boss and embarks
in pursuit of his dreams — a shiny red car, a foreign trip, confessing his love to a childhood
crush, guitar lessons and reuniting with an estranged brother.

Sound like a tear-jerker?

Well, yes. But there are plenty of interesting characters to provide comic relief.

There’s Kaul’s mother, an eccentric old woman with a hearing problem and an addict to
soap operas on television.

There’s Kaul’s boss, the overweight owner of a pharmaceutical firm who spends his days
wolfing down junk food in the privacy of his cabin.

And there’s Kaul himself, a kind-hearted soul who longs for love, friendship and some
meaning in his life.

“Dasvidaniya” derives its name from the Russian word for ‘goodbye’, a fitting farewell to the
hero from the film’s only Russian connection — which we won’t talk about.

The pace of the film does slacken in the second half, but some brilliant acting and poignant
dialogues make up for its shortcomings.

Characters played by Rajat Kapoor, Neha Dhupia and Sarita Joshi are an effective foil to
Kaul’s bumbling persona. And Ranvir Shorey is impressive in his cameo as a habitual
tippler who bumps into Kaul at a bar.
It’s hard for a film without top Bollywood stars to make a killing at the box-office and
“Dasvidaniya” may soon share the fate of its unlucky protagonist.

But if you are in the mood to watch a heart-warming film with some splendid performances,
spending time with Amar Kaul and his acquaintances might not be a bad idea.
Vinay Pathak is excellent at quite a few things. He can spoof anyone on earth and have you shriek
with laughter. He can play the idiot and have you irritated. But have you watched him actually weep?
Well, the man's willing to be excellent at this, too. We suggest you be willing to watch him do it - you
won't regret it.

And you can be forgiven for thinking Dasvidaniya is a cryptic twist of some Hindi title related to the
word 'ten'. It's Russian for 'goodbye', sure, but there's some truth to the Hindi root as well.

Amar (Vinay Pathak) is Munnabhai's Jimmy Shergill, extended. He does not smoke, drink or touch
spice (of any sort), and his life's ambition consists solely of making it to the end of his daily things-to-
do list. After being diagnosed with cancer and given the 'you should have come to us much earlier'
schtick by doctors, he listens to his jeering inner voice, and makes up a different to-do list - a list of
10 things that really matter.

So you follow the man around as he breaks free from the frighteningly suffocating monotone that
was his life. He gives it back to his insensitive boss, buys a new car, confronts an old crush (Neha
Dhupia), and enrolls for guitar lessons. To meet his childhood chum (Rajat Kapoor), he goes abroad,
where he finds love, also on his list. Then, he also sets a couple of relationships right.

The film drags through the first half an hour or so, rather idly, as Amar's character is sketched out in
a rather cliched and predictable manner. The movie becomes engaging only when Amar starts his
journey of self-fulfillment. There's a little bit of Russian because he falls in love with a Russian girl
(you're introduced to her in the very first scene), but there's no pressure on you to understand any
word other than 'Dasvidaniya'.

Then, there is no over-the-top emotion, no intensely profound observation on life and death, and no
hard-hitting revelation. It is a simple account of a man on the way to getting in touch with himself.
Oh, the comedy? Not the kind to guffaw loudly at, but subtle, cute and clever. In any case, it's a feel-
good film, and not a memorial service.

When Amar dies, a part of you - a part bigger than what you lost when either Shah Rukh or Rajesh
Khanna died on screen - dies. There's an Amar in all of us, an Amar who starts smelling the roses
only when confronted with the end of the road. But seeing as he finally did give significantly to the
one person he owed so much - himself - you are happy for the man, happy to have seen him go at
peace with himself.

Of course, the performances are tops, with the regulars - Vinay Pathak, Rajat Kapoor, Saurabh
Shukla, Suchitra Pillai - and others, like Sarita Joshi and Gaurav Gera, doing great. It's the kind of
film that doesn't feel like a film, as much as like a real slice of life. Kailash Kher's music has his raw
but soulful touch, with captivating background music. The song Alvida is brilliant, and so is the retro-
style Muskura.
You have to watch Dasvidaniya it with the air of a lazy Sunday brunch with the family, but don't wait
for a Sunday to do it - the film isn't meant for a long run at the box office.