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The Signature is one of those films that will help you connect with your parents and understand their point of view on what old age looks like. This Hindi-language Zee5 Global Original is a remake of the national award-winning Marathi film Anumati. Gajendra Ahire directed both films, and through them, he gives us a unique perspective on old age, love, and companionship.

Spoilers Ahead

What happened to Madhu Pathak?

The Signature began with Arvind and Madhu Pathak at the airport getting ready to check in for their maiden trip to Europe. Madhu and Arvind were senior citizens, and Madhu was the more excited of the two about the trip. To everyone’s shock, Madhu fainted at the airport and was shifted to the hospital immediately. She’d suffered from a brain hemorrhage and had to be put on life support. Arvind, however, remained hopeful that she would come out of the coma anytime.

How often do you come across a good remake of a film? The Signature, directed by Gajendra Ahire, is the heartfelt tale of a man desperately looking for ways to keep his wife alive. It would seem like a love story, but there are many themes uncovered by the writer-director as the film progresses. The movie was released on October 4, 2024, on Zee5 Global, and as mentioned above, it is a remake of the director’s National Award-winning film, Anumati.

The Signature begins with Arvind Pathak, a retired middle-class librarian, getting set to make his maiden Europe tour with his wife Madhu. She sadly suffered a brain hemorrhage just before the trip and slipped into a coma she’s been in ever since. Arvind goes out of his way to find financial help for Madhu’s treatment when the doctor and his son suggest they remove her from life support. It...

The complex bond between attachment and release is deeply intertwined with love and mortality. In our lives, we tend to pose a significant question to our partners about the aftermath of one’s death, or rather, who dies first. The responses are typically complex, simplistic, or non-existent. Yet, the familiar pattern of shuttling between home and hospital, clinging to a sliver of hope, has become an undeniable reality. It’s as tangible as the clash between eternal love and the harsh truths of existence. Gajendra Ahire, a more pronounced name in the Marathi film industry, tries to tackle this dilemma in “The Signature,” which, of course, is not for the first time. Yet, the perspective that it chooses is complicated and sensitive- that of an old man with a much more energetic wife who finds herself unexpectedly on the verge of death.

The middle-aged, retired librarian Arvind is living a happy life,...