2.5 / 5
Aye Zindagi is based on a true story. Vinayak “Vinay” Chawla (Satyajit Dhobi), a young middle-class computer engineer, learns that he has cirrhosis. He travels from Lucknow to Hyderabad to meet Revathi Ranjan (Rivathi), an organ donation consultant who persuades families of brain death patients to donate their organs. Speaking to her hopes stoke Vijay, but getting a liver that meets his own criteria is tough. Vinay, frustrated, begins to lose hope, but life, they say, finds a way. How things go right for him forms the core of the film.
The film carries a powerful affirmation message that is truly the need of the hour. Organ donation is something Indians are largely ashamed of. Many lives could be saved if the majority became an organ donor. Unfortunately, this message is transmitted randomly. While the scenes that show Vinay going through various stages of illness are gripping, the post-break scenes, where we see Vinay suffering a major survivor’s guilt because he was only able to get a liver due to someone’s death, feel very unrealistic. He wants to meet the organ donor’s family and thank and comfort him. It’s all good. But he was portrayed as a bastard kid throwing tantrums for not getting his favorite brand of ice cream in scenes like this. They needed to be written and shot with some oomph, which is missing. As a result, you don’t feel its impact as often as you should.
After that, his romance with the night nurse, Mangola (Mrinamayee Godbole), also seems childish. After he came out, they mostly talked on the phone and one fine day, he proposed out of the blue and I agreed. Mangola at least shows professional restraint while dealing with a patient while under her care. On the other hand, Vinay again acts like Tinager madly crushes the first beautiful girl he sees. He is a qualified engineer working for a reputable company but his emotional immaturity is disturbing. His brother, played by Swan Tank, is a study in contrast. He turns out to be a fully prepared doctor for graduate studies but is taking a break to take care of his younger brother. The head of the hospital (Hemant Khair) also shows that he has a calm head on his shoulders. Why was the central character weak in structure boggling the mind.
The movie doesn’t get derailed due to the honesty of the actors. Marathi actress Mrinmayee Godbole has been given a drawing of a half-baked character but she doesn’t let that hold her back. She has done full justice for her underwritten role. Hemant Kher channeled his inner Biswajit in his performance as a merciful doctor and Sawan Tak is the soul of a caring older brother. Satyajeet Dube is good behind the scenes as he slowly appears to lose his health and sanity. His depiction of a depressed patient appears immediately. It breaks your heart out seeing his total commitment to the uneven material he was burdened with in the latter part of the movie. Rivathi is a strong performer who has made every role its own and does it here too. It is the spirit of the grief counselor and makes you sit back and pay attention to her moving performance.
If writer and director Anirban had taken a little more care, Aye Zindagi’s movie would have been a lot better than it is now. It carries a powerful message, which must be conveyed to the masses. The heart of the film is in place and we hope that viewers will forgive its missteps and take in its teachings.
Introduction: Aye Zindagi
Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin
No comments:
Post a Comment