‘Wishlist’ Review

A refreshing story of life goals

“Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it”

Marcus Aurelius, The Emperor’s Handbook

MXPlayer which is on top among all digital platforms gives a lot of importance to content and a look into the web series or films that are streaming on this platform reiterates this fact. Wishlist is one such attempt that redefines life encompassing various angles of life with a pointer at what all the people are missing in their lives and how they tend to get confine themselves without exploring the real meaning of life.

Story-line

Shalini (Hina Khan) and Mohit (Jitendra Rai) are a happily married couple who stress out to live a comfortable life and struggle every day to keep their lives going without any disturbance. Mohit wants everything in order, be it his car his house, or household items and he can’t tolerate the tantrums of a kid next door. Shalini is more practical and takes everything in her stride while understanding the feelings of Mohit.

One day, both encounter a bitter truth due to which they need to fulfill their Wishlist before it’s too late. From here onwards they start realizing the real meaning of life and love while on a tour to Europe which is on top of their wishlist which could not be fulfilled so far due to their busy lives.

This trip brings to the fore all the pleasant things that were not there in their lives earlier. The joy, happiness, the togetherness, and the love between each other get doubled making them more contented than before.

Performances

No doubt it’s Hina Khan who nails it and reestablishes her versatility again which is much beyond the crime or horror genre as far as her acting talent is concerned. She dives into the character of Shalini with great ease and aplomb. After all, it’s not an easy character as it looks outside as she has to keep her husband happy while keeping herself open to the bitter fact that keeps on kindling inside. Apart from the story and the content, it’s Hina who is successful in keeping the viewer engaged all through the film with her top-notch performance.

Behind the scenes

The story at the outset may not look robust or jaw-dropping but the underlying message it conveys on life and its goals strikes like a bolt from the blue. Many of us lead lives without being happy inside concentrating on materialistic pleasures, as a result, the inner self remains unhappy which many do not realize till the end of life. The stress and struggle to earn money, fame and luxuries is just a drop in the ocean which does not bring real joy or happiness to life. This life secret is beautifully and aesthetically presented by the story writers Rahat Kazmi and Vimalesh Ghodeshwar with the former being the director of Wishlist also. The true to life handling of the script by Kazmi which is topped up by a perfect screenplay by Ghodeshwar deserves wholehearted appreciation.

The heartwarming photography by Luxmi Chand who brilliantly captured the breathtaking locations of Paris, Zurich, and Amden in Switzerland made the whole film look like a picturesque postcard. Kudos to his camera work.

While the music of Mayank & Raja and Ibrar Malik and those mellifluous songs by Rahul Netra Negi, Ashwini, and Malik himself are soothing to the core, the soulful background score by Tuhin K. Biswas has elevated the whole mood of the film to another level.

Verdict & Rating

Wishlist is one of its kind film with a refreshing story of life goals that is bound to enlighten every human being to go for a self-introspection making them realize what they are missing in this race to attain materialistic satisfaction. A must watch for all, to feel the meaning of real happiness and life besides conveying the real essence of living.

Rating: 4/5