Film Review: Aye Zindagi

Beautiful films like Aye Zindagi come but once in a way. These days, we see several films being made on off-beat topics. There is a breed of filmmakers not scared of experimenting. The taste of the audience is also maturing and we are open to watching films on a variety of topics, even if they might make us somewhat uncomfortable.

Aye Zindagi, made on one such different topic, rarely if ever experimented with in Indian cinema, is brilliant. The film centres around Vinayak, a young Indian who has just been diagnosed with Liver Cirrhosis and has been given 6-7 months to live if he does not get a Liver Transplant soon. His world comes crashing down with this diagnosis and he wonders how he got this condition when he has never as much as smelt alcohol. Apart from his brother, he is helped along the way by a Grief Counsellor from the reputed MOHAN Foundation, the country's most reputed Organ Donation NGO. The rest of the film goes over how he finally gets the liver from a deceased donor. And herein lies the most poignant turn the movie takes. I am not going to reveal more as it will spoil the experience of watching the film yourself.

The film is almost flawlessly executed. The direction, the acting, the dialogues are all beautifully done. You find yourself feeling the emotions of Vinay, played to perfection by Satyajeet Dubey and Revathi, the counsellor, played by the very experienced Revathi. Director Anirban does a stellar job in putting everything together.

At the end of the film we are given some stark figures related to organ transplants. Every year 500,000 people in India die waiting for an organ. The organ donation rates in India are abysmal. I strongly encourage you to pledge to donate your organs after you pass. You can save 7 lives. While you as an individual may pass, your legacy will live on, multiplied 7 times over. What better way to go?

You can find more information about how to pledge to donate your organs here and here to donate funds to MOHAN Foundation.

The film is based on a real story. Lalitha Raghuram is the counsellor who works with MOHAN Foundation. While I have had the honour of meeting her, I had no clue about the backstory. 

Please watch the film at a cinema near you.