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Every once in a while you experience love or beauty and you think "What a joy it is to be alive." But the rest of the time you grapple with all that life throws at you; and it does throw a lot. From the ennui of endless chores to the inevitable changes time brings and everything it takes away, the simple act of being alive, slowly but surely takes a toll on everyone. And since many believe that the meaning of life ultimately is what we assign to it, what happens when we think we achieved it all? Should we be granted the right to die on our own voilition?
'Amar Aaj Marega', a short film written and directed by Rajat Kariya and starring Prakash Jha, takes this profound and unsettling question and turns it into a humorous, thought-provoking narrative that examines life, death, and the agency we have over ourselves.
The film follows Amar Napat , a teen cricket star and retired Bharat Gas employee who one day decides that he has done all he set out to do. He has lived, loved, played, and lost people including his wife. With nothing more he wishes to experience, he prepares for his final farewell. Calling over a friend for drinks, he shares his obituary — a calmly composed announcement of his own impending exit.
But, as is often the case, the universe has other plans. Shocked by Amar’s decision, his friend scrambles to gather relatives to get him to change his mind, and what starts as a quiet, personal choice snowballs into a lively and chaotic intervention.
The film unpacks how society perceives life and death. Suicide is almost always viewed through the lens of mental illness, despair, or trauma. But Amar, by his own repeated insistence, is neither depressed nor hopeless; he's just ready to go. The film challenges this outlook with humour, showing how people around Amar struggle to make sense of his choice. Some protest it as an outrageous act, while others argue that a person should have complete autonomy over their life and body.
While Amar claims contentment, as a viewer, we wonder about his life. His passion for cricket was cut short — maybe if he had won that crucial Rajasthan match and played for the Indian team, things would be different. Perhaps, had his wife still been alive, he would not feel this emptiness. Between lost dreams and lost love, there lingers a quiet grief, a feeling he may not fully acknowledge, but is ever-present. The film smartly juxtaposes Amar’s personal agency with the cosmic unpredictability of life, reminding us that no matter how much control we think we have, fate always has a few surprises in store.
By bringing death into focus, the film paradoxically makes us more aware of life itself. It urges us to weigh the good against the bad, not to dwell on what is missing but to appreciate what we still have. It is only when we think about death that we truly start to value and cherish life, and that is precisely what Amar's story does — it forces us to confront mortality in a way that ultimately values existence.
Despite its heavy themes, Amar Aaj Marega is not a solemn affair. It uses humour to highlight the absurdity of human existence. Its genius lies in its ability to make the audience laugh while also leaving them with deep, lingering thoughts about life’s purpose and the meaning of true fulfillment. Through a conservation about the agency each of us has over our own life and death, it brings to light all the things that make life worthwhile: our passions, our loved ones, and our unfinished desires, which also, in times of need, become the reasons for us to keep going.
Follow Rajat here.
