Dasvidaniya

Do you make lists? A daily To-Do list? Maybe even an hourly list of things to be accomplished? Do you find these lists helpful or do you find them tyrannical? Lists bind me down. Worse still, I make lists and then forget where I have kept them. So making those lists doesn't work for me. Yet there are scores of people who find lists a great help. They find it a source of joy when they keep ticking off the items one by one on that list. For someone like Amar Kaul (played by Vinay Pathak) in the film Dasvidaniya, (means goodbye in Russian) he lives for the to-do lists. That gives him a meaning in his life. He looks forward to the next to-do so that he can complete all those things marked in his list. For all his obsession with accomplishing tasks on his To-Do list, Amar Kaul is not successful in any sense of the term unlike his friend Rajiv Julka played by Rajat Kapoor. Vinay Pathak, Ranbir Sheorey and Rajat Kapoor have shared screen space in delightful films like Bheja Fry. This film is no exception. Neha Dhupia plays a tiny role in Amar Kaul's life as does Saurabh Shukla (another delightful actor who I really like) who plays Amar Kaul's boss. The Russian actress Svetlana is eye candy for sure and it breaks my heart to say she isn't going to be ever nominated for an award for acting.It is incredible how the film takes the audience along on each task. Amar has always loved Neha ever since they were kids but never managed to have the gumption to her so. Now when he manages to track her down, she is already married and has a cute daughter. So will that one task on his list remain unfulfilled? There are ten of those and the audience has a sense of vicarious accomplishment each time Amar Kaul strikes off one task. There are shades of the unassertive character that Amol Palekar played in Chhoti Si Baat. That was just a fleeting thought and not to be taken seriously.Such a lovely film but such a lousy set of songs with really corny lyrics. That was the weak link in the film. Kailash Kher certainly can't earn a living as a lyricist. And while I am on that cribbing spree, the music by Kailash Kher, Naresh and Paresh is forgettable. Compose some decent music for the next film should be on their To-Do list.The one who steals the show is Vinay Pathak. His performance is understated and tugs at your heart strings. His performance in Mithya, Khosla Ka Ghosla and Manorama Six Feet Under have all been noticeable. Dasvidanya is a film that will do well, not necessarily in the first few weeks at the multiplex, but on DVD. As you go and watch the film and talk about it to friends - they will all want to see this film. I loved the bit at the end when the cast of the film share what they would like to do before they die. Go and see the film and come back to make your own list - Ten Things To Do Before I Die.There have been other films and books that exhort you to dance like no one is watching and to love like you will never get hurt, yet it is a reminder all of us can do with one more time.  Dasvidaniya sets you thinking about your own unfinished agenda in life. What if you discovered one day that you have three months to live. What would you do? What would you list as must do? What mental barriers would you cross? What untried things would you try out? Will you tell someone that you love her/ him? Will you learn a musical instrument? Will you travel to countries that hitherto remained only on the map? Will you learn a new sport - even though you are like me - born without a sporting gene? Will you learn to sing even though you have been told all your life that you cannot? Will you wear those clothes that you once bought for a grand occasion but no occasion seemed grand enough? Will you use that bottle of cologne or perfume that was just too expensive to use and is fading away in your cupboard? Will you make that painting that you wanted to? Get yourself a tattoo? Try bungee jumping?If you have so many To-Dos on your list, you better start doing it now!!Rating **** out of 5