REVIEW: Dasvidaniya, a trendsetter

Years ago Hrishikesh Mukherjee made a film (Anand) about a common man Rajesh Khanna who was suffering from cancer. Even as 'commercial' directors declared the film wouldn't do well it broke all box-office records. And many people still consider it one of Rajesh Khanna's best performances.

Rajkumar Hirani also dealt with this plot as a sub-theme in his debut film Munnabhai MBBS. Zaheer (Jimmy Shegill) plays the 'angry young man', who's angry at fate and life when he's confronted with an incurable disease. Picking up the same line of thought, Shashant Shah has made a film about the conscious choices a person makes when he's confronted with the difficult truth that his lifespan has been cut down for no fault of his.

Amar Kaul (Vinay Pathak) at the first glance appears to be a man who is devoid of any burning passion, ambition, or desire. But some acidity or gas (as most of us desis still refer to it) takes him to the doctor's office. Only to be told he has a really short life span ahead of him.

Amar's life so far has consisted of making to-do lists. And when one list gets over he makes a new one. And like most to-do lists his lists also comprise the most boring tasks like getting the geyser repaired and buying batteries. Even as Amar realises the game is almost over he painstakingly tries to make sense of and come to terms with his life.

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