This weekend gone past has been a wonderful one, with me catching up on some films I've been procrastinating with watching. Listen Amaya just happened to be on top of the rather long list.
I have to admit that I was more than a little skeptical about this film because of the wildly varying reviews I had read of it. The critics barring a few exceptions had torn the film apart, while acquaintances I came across who had seen the film, spoke highly of it. But, I thought if nothing else, actors of the caliber of Farooq Sheikh and Deepti Naval will make it bearable.
The critics who take it upon themselves to behave like demi Gods and summarily be the judge jury and executioner of all films coming out of our film industry, should maybe introspect. Are they qualified to pass judgment or do they overstep their mandate by condemning films such as this to an early death, long before it has had a chance to be truly judged by a paying audience? I would not have seen Listen Amaya, had it not been for my pig headedness to watch Farooq and Deepti together again. That would have truly been my loss, which is when I would have been very very angry.
A film like Listen Amaya comes along very rarely, and even less so now. No, it is not a masterpiece but as the years go by, I can see it becoming one of those films which will be used as an example to teach budding film makers that stories are all important. However simple those stories may be. The film is elegant, the dialogues are deceptively easy flowing, the shot taking is gentle and the performances are truly scintillating. My husband and I watch enough good cinema to tell when genuine talent is being exhibited on screen or behind the camera. The way certain scenes are constructed are genius in their simplicity, which makes them so astoundingly effective. One of the most poignant characters in the film has only one scene, the old watchmaker. But he is used so beautifully to set up the central premise of memory and its form, that when Jayant returns to his shop in the second half of the film, to find him having passed on; my heart ached for not just his son's loss but Jayant's as well. That is a mark of very good writing.
Amaya's complete emotional breakdown as she comes to terms with and apologizes to her mother, brings a huge lump to your throat. Jayant's expression as he lets Leela into his home is masterful, since it represents so many unsaid things. Hurt, resignation, understanding and dread at the inevitable that is around the corner. The easy camaraderie between Deepti and Farooq, as Jayant charmingly flirts with Leela in full view of everyone is superlative. The comic mix up when the young man mistakes Leela and Jayant to be married and arrives for dinner at Leela's home, drew a good old belly laugh even from my usually reticent husband! Leela and Amaya's banter at the beginning of the film to Leela's expression when Amaya realizes that her mother knew all along that Jayant suffered from Alzheimer's is nothing short of brilliant. It is a scene that not many actors can pull off, kudos to Deepti and Swara.
Al through the film, you can almost sense the deft touch of the makers of Listen Amaya. They never push too much that it interferes with your experience and yet they steer the film delicately through very relevant topics and issues that not a lot of people would have thought about. They explore relationships at many different levels, where the common binding factor is being in love, or loving someone to distraction. They also do it all without preaching for one moment, about what the viewer must think and that is what is really commendable. What a gutsy story to tell and tell exceedingly well. I hope it pays off for them and they get their due recognition. I really enjoyed watching Listen Amaya and have recommended it to everyone I know far and wide. I hope more films like this continue to come from the makers of this one.
I have to admit that I was more than a little skeptical about this film because of the wildly varying reviews I had read of it. The critics barring a few exceptions had torn the film apart, while acquaintances I came across who had seen the film, spoke highly of it. But, I thought if nothing else, actors of the caliber of Farooq Sheikh and Deepti Naval will make it bearable.
The critics who take it upon themselves to behave like demi Gods and summarily be the judge jury and executioner of all films coming out of our film industry, should maybe introspect. Are they qualified to pass judgment or do they overstep their mandate by condemning films such as this to an early death, long before it has had a chance to be truly judged by a paying audience? I would not have seen Listen Amaya, had it not been for my pig headedness to watch Farooq and Deepti together again. That would have truly been my loss, which is when I would have been very very angry.
A film like Listen Amaya comes along very rarely, and even less so now. No, it is not a masterpiece but as the years go by, I can see it becoming one of those films which will be used as an example to teach budding film makers that stories are all important. However simple those stories may be. The film is elegant, the dialogues are deceptively easy flowing, the shot taking is gentle and the performances are truly scintillating. My husband and I watch enough good cinema to tell when genuine talent is being exhibited on screen or behind the camera. The way certain scenes are constructed are genius in their simplicity, which makes them so astoundingly effective. One of the most poignant characters in the film has only one scene, the old watchmaker. But he is used so beautifully to set up the central premise of memory and its form, that when Jayant returns to his shop in the second half of the film, to find him having passed on; my heart ached for not just his son's loss but Jayant's as well. That is a mark of very good writing.
Amaya's complete emotional breakdown as she comes to terms with and apologizes to her mother, brings a huge lump to your throat. Jayant's expression as he lets Leela into his home is masterful, since it represents so many unsaid things. Hurt, resignation, understanding and dread at the inevitable that is around the corner. The easy camaraderie between Deepti and Farooq, as Jayant charmingly flirts with Leela in full view of everyone is superlative. The comic mix up when the young man mistakes Leela and Jayant to be married and arrives for dinner at Leela's home, drew a good old belly laugh even from my usually reticent husband! Leela and Amaya's banter at the beginning of the film to Leela's expression when Amaya realizes that her mother knew all along that Jayant suffered from Alzheimer's is nothing short of brilliant. It is a scene that not many actors can pull off, kudos to Deepti and Swara.
Al through the film, you can almost sense the deft touch of the makers of Listen Amaya. They never push too much that it interferes with your experience and yet they steer the film delicately through very relevant topics and issues that not a lot of people would have thought about. They explore relationships at many different levels, where the common binding factor is being in love, or loving someone to distraction. They also do it all without preaching for one moment, about what the viewer must think and that is what is really commendable. What a gutsy story to tell and tell exceedingly well. I hope it pays off for them and they get their due recognition. I really enjoyed watching Listen Amaya and have recommended it to everyone I know far and wide. I hope more films like this continue to come from the makers of this one.