Listen... Amaya

Truly delicate movie. I loved the way it handles the characters without portraying anyone as right or wrong. There are some very beautiful moments in the movie which i had to see multiple times to be fully satisfied. The movie is slow, so don't expect a thrilling ride. And it has lot of emotional acts where silence speaks out louder than words. At few places I felt that the script was too filmy for my taste but those moments passed away quickly before I got turned-off. Also there are some characters who don't add any value to the movie and its easy to notice that they had no contribution to the movie at all. The ending could have been better I felt. But that is just me. Good Sunday-afternoon. Enjoy and let others know :)

I don't remember the last time I've enjoyed watching a movie at home. Movies are meant to be watched in theaters and unfortunately I missed out on this wonderful film.

I have to also say that it is immensely heartening to know that movies of this kind are not only being thought up, but also being produced. So, there is hope. And as they say, ultimately it really is the script that is the star, or at least that's how it should be.

Leela and Jayant are two lonely widow/widowers who happen to meet each other at a cafe that is run by Leela in her home. They are naturally drawn to each other and fall into an easy relationship without the frills and silliness that is a hallmark of being younger. It is a beautifully portrayed relationship, where the silences say so much more than words ever would. Thus, when a much younger adult is suddenly faced with a relationship she is not used to seeing, her natural instincts to reject it at any cost come gushing to the surface. The reasoning she uses is so trivial, because she actually can't find a plausible reason to oppose it in the first place.

The way each relationship has been treated is also refreshing, because each of the characters have their own journey's to complete. All the t's are crossed and most of the i's are dotted, without making it obvious that it is being done at all. Kudos to the director to take the risk of not saying too much. Believing in us as an audience to understand. Powerful imagery, an interesting choice of music and superlative performances from the lead actors in Listen Amaya make you wonder why movies like this are not made more often.

I recently watched Lootera as well and though that film also had silences and nuances that the director used to great effect, Listen Amaya scores over Lootera simply because of the calibre of the actors enacting those silences. Farooq Sheikh and Deepti Naval are powerhouses of acting talent. Swara Bhaskar is such a fine performer and one who you should keep a lookout for. Most of the supporting cast blend beautifully with the way the story unfolds, that for almost two hours, you remain rooted to where you're sitting.

But credit must also be given where it is due. Had it not been for the deft directing, the sharp, almost picture perfect cinematography, or the crisp editing, the subtle and elegant sets or even the often simple music, all of the acting would have gone in vain. Because after all, the actors are only playing out a vision of what was already put on paper, long before the film got shot. Bravo for a rapidly maturing Hindi film industry and thank God for films like Listen Amaya.

A friend of mine had watched Listen Amaya when it was screened as a part of the London Asian Film Festival and had raved about it. I hadn't even heard of the film, but when she spoke of it, looking it up on Google and IMDb, I realised that it had come and gone.

I've watched the film on DVD yesterday and I have to say, the praise is justified!

I am a middle aged divorcée. While Listen Amaya speaks of two widowed people wanting to start a relationship, I see so many subtle themes that are at play here, that I can so easily relate to what happens on screen.

Children have no right over their parents or their lives, and for the vast majority of Indians, it is almost impossible to comprehend that fact. Our responsibility towards our children is to bring them up, care for and nurture them to become free thinking individuals, in their own lives. I as a parent though, still reserve the right to live mine the way I see fit. If I choose to take a partner, whether in marriage or in civil partnership, it is my fundamental right to do so.

I enjoyed the way Leela and Jayant's love story unfolded with such grace and simplicity. I thoroughly enjoyed the liberal use of intelligent humour and I admit that I also choked at some of the more emotional moments. Rarely have I seen a film which touches on sensitive issues and still stays away from sermonizing about what is right or wrong. That doesn't mean the film has no flaws.

It could easily have been a little shorter in the first half of the film. It definitely did not need any songs, although two of them are situational and therefore may be discounted. While the language used is primarily Hindi, there is too much English for it to be accepted as a mainstream film and therein lies it's biggest problem. A film like this deserves to be seen by a very wide audience, because so many people will connect with it, but it does itself no favors by targeting a small section of that audience by the limited marketing it seems to have done.

If I don't agree with the way Leela and Jayant dealt with Amaya's abject pigheadedness, I also understand that it is a deeply personal reaction and that everyone's will be different. So while I won't judge the characters, I will judge what the film did for me. Listen Amaya made me take notice of smaller, independent films that are being made today, which rely on story telling rather than a marketing blitz to sell tickets, or DVD's! It also renewed my faith in the fact that cinema can still entertain, without resorting to cheap gimmickry or sleaze.

See it if you can, because it's two hours that will stay with you for a lot longer than the time you took to watch it.

Farooq Shiekh has been one of the finest actors in Indian movies who defied the concept of face value on screen and boosted quality roles and performance. "Listen...Amaya" is a story between generation gap emanating the emotional complexity between matured parenthood and disturbed youth presented through a melodrama. The film though has a very non salable cast, performances of Farooq Shiekh and Deepti Naval is really worth praising. Perhaps one of the better movies they have given together after the 80s. Well, there is very little for the people going for commercial values like songs and dances and the pace of the drama is quite slow. But overall the good performances and the story is what you would remember of this film. Just watch this as a tribute to late Farooq Shiekh. You'll like it.

Rating : 2 stars out of 4

For me its a 10 on 10. 'Listen..Amaya' what a great concept. Beautiful story, lovely direction, brilliant performances. Farooq Sheikh especially is at his charming best. Story is about 3 people, Leela (Deepti Naval), Jayant (Farooq Sheikh) and Amaya (Swara Bhaskar). Leela(in her 50s) is Amaya's (in her 20s) mother. Leela lost her husband when Amaya was very young. Jayant (in his 60s may be) is Leels's friend and Amaya is also fond of Jayant. Amaya is a 'free spirited modern young girl' (as Leela puts it in the movie), who is open minded and outspoken. Leela and Jayant are very comfortable in each other's company and eventually fall for each. When Leela tells Amaya that she desires to spend her life with Jayant, Amaya flips out. Amaya thinks and openly admits that it will be so embarrassing for her to confront her friends if Leela marries Jayant. The movie is about how they sort out things after that.

I loved the movie, we should have more movies like these. What this gem of a movie conveys is that everyone is entitled to have a companion, irrespective of their age, no matter how embarrassing it may be for their children. And our "modern" generation which claims to hate "hypocrisy" is also "hypocritical" when it comes to matters that involve them.

I look forward to more movies like these. This is the kind of movie that opens our mind. We the "younger generation" This is a fantastic movie that is a must watch for all movie lovers. I would recommend this for people of all age groups.