People’s love means the most to Alia
Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt says that though content is the king, people's love for her and her films "means the…
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh Khan and Kunal Roy Kapoor
Director: Gauri Shinde
Producer: Gauri Shinde, Gauri Khan and Karan Johar
Dear Zindagi
We don’t talk a lot these days and whenever we do, it's either of the morose and melancholic kind or a simple exchange of words in the way of everyday monotony.
Dear Zindagi would indeed help to get rid of such boredom. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt and Kunal Roy Kapoor, the movie is all about a very talented cinematographer who suddenly faces a quarter life crises, with failed romances, impediments in her career. Alia Bhatt portrays this role and to say the least, she's utterly beautiful in it.
Her every nuance expresses itself with utmost beauty. Needless to say, she is the glue that holds the movie together, followed by Shahrukh Khan who plays the role of a psychotherapist named Jehangir Khan.
While his entry into the movie is almost 45 minutes after the beginning, it is the advent of his character that adds the life to the movie. His intriguing philosophies and out of the box outlook on life add much to the weight. The supporting cast includes Kunal Roy Kapoor, Ali Zafar and among many others and everyone more or less does justice to the movie.
The technical aspect of the movie though is very well crafted. Gauri Shinde, who gave us a rather interesting film, English Vinglish has her signature feel-good vibe shining throughout the film and her direction deserves applause.
The beautiful, lush cinematography with highlights of bright shades and a dazzling array of colours is a sight for sore eyes. The (sometimes) crisp editing, wonderful costumes and A.R. Rahman’s soulful tunes all add to create a technically near perfect film.
But that’s not to say the movie itself is perfect. Much like life, even the movie suffers from certain problems, some major and some minor, the biggest being the length of the film.
At 150 minutes, it’s 20 minutes too long and therefore does feel a little tedious from time to time. The script has amazing humour spread throughout but meanders from the time to time with certain characters breaking the narrative and few scenes feeling tacky and unnecessary. The music too is a little loud from time to time, which is ironic since a character vehemently mentions the importance of silence in life.
Dear Zindagi much like life itself is a flawed piece of art, sometimes shining, sometimes dull. The lead actors much like the whites in the images, dazzle in their performance. It has its flaws and quite a few of them but notwithstanding, it’s an ode to joy, a breath of fresh air, much needed in this uselessly ‘dark’ age of cinema.
Class XI, Coordinator, Julien Day School, Kolkata
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