Double Seat: When a “Story” is “Real”

It began when a dear acquaintance of mine recommended that I watch the trailer for an upcoming Marathi film titled “Double Seat”. Given my high regard for this person’s opinion, I jumped onto clicking on the link to the trailer. I was not disappointed at all. At the end of 03 mins and 07 secs, I made up my mind – I am not going to miss out on this interesting dose of cuteness. Yet another Marathi movie waited to be added onto my list of unbiased viewing this year.

Mukta Barve and Ankush Chaudhari play the newly married lower-middle class couple, Manjiri and Amit. I do not wish to reveal even one tiny bit of the story here and spoil it for the reader, because it definitely deserves to be watched on screen. Beyond the fact that the movie has been able to tell the real life tale of every middle-class family with a newly married couple, what really stands out is the attention to detail and the sheer simplicity of the concept. Through various scenes and small moments, the director has taken tremendous efforts to make the story as real as it would be in a person’s life. To me, this makes the movie very appealing – after all, it is in the micro that the macro effect is truly experienced. Another particular reason why this film strikes a chord with one is, because in a day and age where Bollywood is too busy glamorizing “glamour”, pumping in crores of rupees into movies that are nothing but a huge waste of time, efforts and money with below average storylines; and at a time when we still continue to be enthralled by what Hollywood conceives and has to offer, here comes a real winner that brings to the table a beautiful tale – of love, of struggle, of family, of dreams. A film in which the lack of space in this sprawling city and the magic of sitting on Marine Drive dreaming about your future with your loved one is captured without the brouhaha of song /dance /skin-show /special effects but is so convincingly good in itself, you wouldn’t bat an eyelid to the essence of every piece portrayed.

The sweetness with which Manjiri begins her every sentence with “Amuu” and the loving patience with which he looks at her while she rattles away her dreams to him, is so adorable that you cannot help but fall in love with the couple, who are truly in love with each other. The love in his eyes, the excitement in her voice - would want a non-believer to believe in love again. I noticed that I was heartily smiling through several instances of the film. Even as I type this, I cannot help but smile at how much this film has created in me warmth and fuzziness. Not many movies one watches, leaves you this content! Indeed, it was heartening to see a movie that told a “real” story, set in a tiny 2–room chawl, amidst the chaos of India’s most sought after City of Dreams, with the backdrop of a new-found marriage, a new found passion and the many intricacies woven with the weaves of dreams, family, success, values and above all, LOVE.

Samir Vidwans, “Kiti Sangayachay Mala” to you, in praise of a brilliantly beautiful concept that you’ve picked up from our everyday lives in this city, the deepest feelings in our hearts, from our daily conversations, from our family lives,  and showcased them all into a heart-warming tale of 2 hours! He has wisely picked all the right characters that add the right colors to the film and not wasted screen time on unnecessary and impractical things, unlike most films of this age. A clean story, a fine ending and enough humor were the ingredients of this film. While some may complain on the pace of the movie I truly believe that realistic stories are best told at their own pace. This is a happy, appreciatory post. I can just not be critical about this one! Also, all artists in the film, especially the lead pair, deserve a word of appreciation too- they have made each character believable and real. Take a bow, Samir and crew - you’ve won hundreds of hearts and struck a chord with this charmer, which personifies that there is beauty in simplicity.

P.S.: I was among the unfortunate who was single-seated while enjoying Manjiri and Amit’s tale. To you who is reading this, I hope you watch this “Double Seated” – after all, the icing on the cake of any love story is holding hands with your "special someone" during the "real" and "reel" special moments :)