Before I start, I would like to congratulate all those who have had a divine revelation about the existence of a certain film called ‘Amit Sahni Ki List’. Yes, there is actually a film by this name and it did hit the theatres yesterday (i.e. Friday – 18.07.14). However, if Bollywoodhungama.com and the article ‘List of Bollywood films of 2014’ on Wikipedia are not frequently found in your browser history, you wont be blamed for this ignorance. Produced By ‘Pyxis Pictures’ and directed by ‘Ajay Bhuyan’, Amit Sahni Ki List implemented the low-key strategy of marketing and featured on minimalistic slots in the print and broadcast media. To top it all, the buzz for the film on the Internet was also almost negligible, As opposed to the boisterous and in-your-face marketing strategies being implemented by studios and feature film production houses for quite sometime. What made the makers and marketing officials of the film take this decision is unknown to me.
The film revolves around the life of an investment banker, bachelor Mr.Amit Sahni (Virr Das) and his ‘LIST’. Now what is this ‘Amit Sahni Ki List’? The list includes all the factors that Amit Sahni is looking for in his soul mate. The film is a documentation of his journey in the quest to find THE perfect girl, and if failing to fulfill one criterion on the list the poor and sometimes not-so-poor babe is rejected. (Gives me the feeling of a Government office, Where if I take my Passport or Pan Card and fail to showcase my electricity bill, am sent back home, after the man/woman across the counter will make me feel so dejected and low about myself.) Thank goodness this concept did not dawn upon Mr. Steven Spielberg (The one Hollywood film maker everyone knows, for whatever reasons best known to themselves) or else we would have the next Harrison Ford starrer ‘Indiana Jones and the quest for the perfect girl’ with the list written on parchment paper and to be found under one of the pyramids of Giza.
In keeping with the spirit of the film, I decided to go unconventional this time. With almost 18 years of cinema viewing experience at hand, I have been able to come up with a list of all the elements that I expect to find in a film that I watch.
So here it is, Meri Waali List:
- Great production design
- Huge production value
- Artist’s performances
- Good music and perfect usage of the same to enhance the film
- Technically sound
- No room for questioning and challenging the turn of events
- Good dialogues with effective punch lines
- True to it’s genre
And Last, not the least and infact the most important of them all
- The script, story and screenplay
Well, Lets start off with the elements from the film that lived up to my expectations and that I could tick off my list.
Hands down, the film looks marvelous. With production design and production value topping my list, this film was a visual treat for me. The sets, costumes, locations and everything else one could you ask for has made it’s mark like any other bigwig in the league. The film is very well shot and is almost perfectly put together at the editing table. Apart from a few dubbing mishaps, here and there (Which can very well be forgiven) Amit Sahni Ki List almost technically flawless.
The film showcases some great performances by the artists like the Vega Tamotia as Mala and the Indian-British actor, Kavi Shastri (NO… Not the cricketer, that’s Ravi Shastri) as Amit Sahni’s bum chum. Even Natasha Rastogi as his wannabe cool mother puts you in the right perspective. Now, What about Mr.Virr Das?
I have heard about a particular practice in the rural parts of India, where the concept of written letters still thrives and where illiteracy is still a major problem at hand, postmen carry letters to the receiver and read to them the message or piece of communication from the sender. The postmen read out all sorts of information to the receiver with emotions as though they are the sender’s voice. God graced himself upon the receivers and perhaps even Mr.Das, who perhaps would have read out the auspicious news of a beautiful child’s birth and the sad news of an ailing person’s demise with the same expression and in the same tone. Amit Sahni himself fails in the film, with one monotonous tone of dialogue delivery and expressionless poker face by the end of the 2:30 hours, Virr Das simply gets to you. He fails to communicate the filmmakers’ intentions behind the story, to the audience effectively.
The music of the film is, well… this is embarrassing, but I don’t remember a single track except one called ‘What the fark’, which is effectively made to sound like the F-word (But that’s also only why I remember this track).
If you are expecting a 2:30 hour laughter riot where you expect yourself to be in splits and TIYSL (Twisting in your seat laughing) you’re going to be highly disappointed. With the humor making its impact only in bits and pieces, the film finds its heart in Kavi Shastri (The friend) and Natasha Rastogi (The mother) who enable you to spread those lips from a semi-should I smile/should I not dilemma to an actually laugh.
However, One should really watch the film for its maker’s attempt at storytelling, which somewhere down the line we have forgotten is one of the salient features of filming. A simple and sweet concept weaved into a smart yet simplistic story and presented to the audience. Although, the script is extremely monotonous, clichéd with it’s concepts and leaves a void unfulfilled after the film, it’s a genuine attempt from the heart, by the director and producers, and that is commendable.
If you are interested in being treated to some old school ‘storytelling’, Amit Sahni Ki List is YOUR thing and will be worth your time. However, if you are hungry for something big, more happening and a fast paced audio-visual experience that gives you a kick, I think we all know what you are eagerly waiting for.
The Seventh Sense 