"Dear Zindagi" Hindi film review - a Gauri 'puja' with utmost sincerity; an encouraging, atypical Bollywood film...
What it is...
The much anticipated Dear Zindagi is an Indie movie on life that was pleasing to watch for sure. But probably just not for everybody.
The best thing about the film is that it deals with life and relationship issues that we usually choose to keep mum about. This is not your typical Bollywood movie. Maybe that's why it's an Indie movie, to me.
The film is all about Kaira who has her own insecurities about life (primarily relationships with men, confusions, and such), despite being a successful Director of Photography (DOP) at a very young age, and how she musters up the courage to take up steps to find answers.
What works...
Alia Bhatt is ammm...aezing to watch, for it's again evident that is 2nd nature to her. She's a joy and a total natural. Watch this just for Alia's performance and Gauri Shinde's direction. I'm glad Shinde did not go the Vikas Behl way and instead chose something more shaandaar instead. :D
It was nice to see that a huge Bollywood star - read Shah Rukh Khan - lets talented Alia rule the film completely with her performance. SRK has two Gauris by his side, here, technically speaking. One a co-producer - his wife Gauri Khan - and the other - Shinde - his director here! Smile!
Ali Zafar deserves the accolades, too, for he does leave an impact in the short time that he is on screen for. Kunal Kapoor - good to see him get some screen space after a long time. He looks very fit and good, so much so that you wonder where he had disappeared in the last decade or so.
The relationship between Kaira and Dr Jehangir Khan is portrayed just perfectly and beautifully; like in real-life. Shinde sure seems to have done her homework on the relationships between psychologists and their clients.
What could have been better -
The subject was good but the script was lacking a punch.
Shahrukh Khan is typical and could have put in more effort (say) like an Irrfan Khan would have (though he wasn't hamming here, thankfully).
I'd have liked to see more episodes in conveying the message subtly than the 'BD' - short for Brain Doctor - take what comes across as classrooms on life with his 'monologues'.
Amit Trivedi's title track is catchy. But overall, the music could have been better, otherwise, and it would have added more zing to the film.
The plot is good but it could have been implemented more effectively instead of being preachy and clichéd. Subtlety would have taken this film up exponentially.
I also strongly felt it would have been more effective in English, as the subject has global appeal; you know, shrinks and all...!
And Angad Bedi, I was left wanting for more of him after his fabulous performance in Pink. Too bad he barely got any frames, here.
Go watch it.
We sure need more of this. Shinde's core strength in her art is that she is a master at human connect, with utmost simplicity and sincerity.
And while I was finding out more about her after the film, I was informed that she is the wife of filmmaker R Balki! That sure aids her in reaching out to the star contacts in Bollywood, but she sure deserves credit for cinema films that explore life and human touch. I'm glad we have such filmmakers to make the good cinema they believe in.
My verdict: A feel-good movie, overall, and I go with 3.5 out of 5, for the quality cinema.
The much anticipated Dear Zindagi is an Indie movie on life that was pleasing to watch for sure. But probably just not for everybody.
The best thing about the film is that it deals with life and relationship issues that we usually choose to keep mum about. This is not your typical Bollywood movie. Maybe that's why it's an Indie movie, to me.
The film is all about Kaira who has her own insecurities about life (primarily relationships with men, confusions, and such), despite being a successful Director of Photography (DOP) at a very young age, and how she musters up the courage to take up steps to find answers.
What works...
Alia Bhatt is ammm...aezing to watch, for it's again evident that is 2nd nature to her. She's a joy and a total natural. Watch this just for Alia's performance and Gauri Shinde's direction. I'm glad Shinde did not go the Vikas Behl way and instead chose something more shaandaar instead. :D
It was nice to see that a huge Bollywood star - read Shah Rukh Khan - lets talented Alia rule the film completely with her performance. SRK has two Gauris by his side, here, technically speaking. One a co-producer - his wife Gauri Khan - and the other - Shinde - his director here! Smile!
Ali Zafar deserves the accolades, too, for he does leave an impact in the short time that he is on screen for. Kunal Kapoor - good to see him get some screen space after a long time. He looks very fit and good, so much so that you wonder where he had disappeared in the last decade or so.
The relationship between Kaira and Dr Jehangir Khan is portrayed just perfectly and beautifully; like in real-life. Shinde sure seems to have done her homework on the relationships between psychologists and their clients.
What could have been better -
The subject was good but the script was lacking a punch.
Shahrukh Khan is typical and could have put in more effort (say) like an Irrfan Khan would have (though he wasn't hamming here, thankfully).
I'd have liked to see more episodes in conveying the message subtly than the 'BD' - short for Brain Doctor - take what comes across as classrooms on life with his 'monologues'.
Amit Trivedi's title track is catchy. But overall, the music could have been better, otherwise, and it would have added more zing to the film.
The plot is good but it could have been implemented more effectively instead of being preachy and clichéd. Subtlety would have taken this film up exponentially.
I also strongly felt it would have been more effective in English, as the subject has global appeal; you know, shrinks and all...!
And Angad Bedi, I was left wanting for more of him after his fabulous performance in Pink. Too bad he barely got any frames, here.
Go watch it.
We sure need more of this. Shinde's core strength in her art is that she is a master at human connect, with utmost simplicity and sincerity.
And while I was finding out more about her after the film, I was informed that she is the wife of filmmaker R Balki! That sure aids her in reaching out to the star contacts in Bollywood, but she sure deserves credit for cinema films that explore life and human touch. I'm glad we have such filmmakers to make the good cinema they believe in.
My verdict: A feel-good movie, overall, and I go with 3.5 out of 5, for the quality cinema.
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