Movie Review: Listen… Amaya

You had no problem with Jazz,
You found him to be your Mother’s best friend
You had a strange sense of respect for him
And you were amazed at his sense of photography
Tell me why… Amaya?

You laughed with him
You shared your thoughts with him
You always wanted him to be around your coffee shop
And you were filled with a sense of comfort when around him
Tel me why… Amaya?

You loved your Ma
You always looked up to her
You found her to be your best friend
And you knew the sacrifices she put her self through
Tell me why… Amaya?

You loved the way Jazz and your Ma got along
You loved his banter when he was around
You planned your first book with his support
And you were on top of the World when the concept came through
Tell me why… Amaya?

And then one day you realized
That Ma and Jazz were more than best friends
And you decided it was not fair
That you had society to answer to
Tell me why… Amaya?

You flattened Ma with your silence
When all she was asking of you, was to Listen… Amaya
For you, YOU mattered the most
What about me? What about me? Was your constant cry
Tell me why… Amaya?

Your Ma’s feelings were never a concern
What she wanted was not on your agenda
How she sacrificed her life for you, came to naught
How could Ma do this? Is all what you thought
Tell me why… Amaya?

Ma tried to reason with you
She sought to make peace with the pact
But all you reasoned was, how could she do this to Dad?
Tell me why… Amaya?

Your Dad passed away 12 years ago
Ma buried her grief in loving you
Her pain was poignant, but your joy was important
She ensured you were shielded from the past
Tell me why… Amaya?

You are a forward thinking woman, Amaya
At least that was what you wanted all to believe
But when it came to giving and loving
You decided that YOU needed to receive
Tell me why… Amaya?

We all have to Let Go
We cannot let grief bind us to the past
Looking back is never the answer, Moving on is what life is all about
It is more blessed to give than to receive
You know that now, Amaya…

Farooq Sheikh and Deepti Naval exude that rare charm which is hard to find in any romance depicted on screen of late. Their expressions, timing and reasoning, punctuated with deft silences are what excellent performances are all about. Swara Bhaskar as Amaya invites you to reach out and slap her. If she has been able to evoke that response from the viewer, then it has to be a grand performance.

First time director Avinash Kumar Singh gets his screenplay to perfection in depicting the plight of our so-called forward thinking youngsters. He also dwells on the pain of Amaya who has grown up without the protective arm of her father and explores, very subtly the torment of Jayant (Farooq Sheikh) and Leela (Deepti Naval). He also lets you take a walk into the mind of Amaya, who puts society before self and family.

At the end of the day, we all have our lives to live. When the children are ready to leave the nest, don’t single parents have the right to love someone?

It’s not always about sex.

Listen… Amaya is for everyone who has the time to look beyond the needs of self.

Take a bow, Avinash Kumar Singh and Geeta Singh. A ‘now’ story, lovingly told!

Rating: 4 / 5
Martin D’Souza
This first appeared on glamsham on January 31, 2013