IWK movie reviews: Dear Zindagi
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Yashaswini Dayama, Ira Dubey, Kunal Kapoor, Ali Zafar, Angad Bedi
Director: Gauri Shinde
Rating: 2.5/5
Gauri who? One might ask. Gauri is the one who helmed Sridevi’s successful comeback vehicle English Vinglish (2013). Her effort was a breath of fresh air. She won awards for Best Debut Director from Filmfare, ZEE, Screen, and IIFA. This time, Gauri returns with a tale of a modern Indian girl (Alia Bhatt as Kaira), a successful city slicker in her own right who flits in and out of relationships because she has commitment issues.
From the time she hit the silver screen, Alia has more often than not set the screen on fire with her utterly believable performances, especially in her dialogue delivery. Corny dialogues rolling off her tongue somehow seem entirely plausible. The scene where she points to a jacket she has had since she was in year 10 as a sign of her “commitment” is so contrived yet executed beautifully by her to the point that you almost believe it hook, line, and sinker.
Alia’s character displays different shades—dark, moody, selfish, and prone to making bad decisions repeatedly in her life. Kudos to Gauri for etching out Kaira’s character well.
Shah Rukh Khan plays Dr Jehangir Khan—a shrink who embarks on an unconventional line of treatment for his patient. It is sad that SRK is swaying away from his traditional ‘Raj’ or ‘Rahul’ roles. As such, Shah Rukh’s role can be described more as a special appearance, as Alia is pretty much in every frame. On a reality scale, his portrayal of a psychiatrist might be farthest from the truth. Having said that, SRK still tries to pump some life into his character and succeeds to a great extent. However, Dear Zindagi by no means is his best.
Yashaswini Dayama and Ira Dubey play the roles of Kaira’s besties Fatima and Jackie. They play a small part in the story. Ali Zafar and Angad Bedi as Kaira’s love interests don’t really have much to do.
Cinematography by Laxman Utekar is good.
Music is by Amit Trivedi and some of the numbers will stay with you.
Ae Zindagi Gale Laga le, originally sung by Suresh Wadkar and composed by music maestro Ilayaraja, is remixed with the voices of Arijit Singh and Alia Bhatt. Arijit’s rendition cannot be compared with the original, but Alia’s version has a good feel to it. Love you Zindagi by Jasleen Royal and Amit Trivedi is topping the charts.
Given the theme of being close to the real world and fast-paced life of the next generation, this film could have been a watershed in Bollywood if Gauri had explored the depths of relationships more than what she did. The final product is good for one watch.
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Yashaswini Dayama, Ira Dubey, Kunal Kapoor, Ali Zafar, Angad Bedi
Director: Gauri Shinde
Rating: 2.5/5
Gauri who? One might ask. Gauri is the one who helmed Sridevi’s successful comeback vehicle English Vinglish (2013). Her effort was a breath of fresh air. She won...
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Yashaswini Dayama, Ira Dubey, Kunal Kapoor, Ali Zafar, Angad Bedi
Director: Gauri Shinde
Rating: 2.5/5
Gauri who? One might ask. Gauri is the one who helmed Sridevi’s successful comeback vehicle English Vinglish (2013). Her effort was a breath of fresh air. She won awards for Best Debut Director from Filmfare, ZEE, Screen, and IIFA. This time, Gauri returns with a tale of a modern Indian girl (Alia Bhatt as Kaira), a successful city slicker in her own right who flits in and out of relationships because she has commitment issues.
From the time she hit the silver screen, Alia has more often than not set the screen on fire with her utterly believable performances, especially in her dialogue delivery. Corny dialogues rolling off her tongue somehow seem entirely plausible. The scene where she points to a jacket she has had since she was in year 10 as a sign of her “commitment” is so contrived yet executed beautifully by her to the point that you almost believe it hook, line, and sinker.
Alia’s character displays different shades—dark, moody, selfish, and prone to making bad decisions repeatedly in her life. Kudos to Gauri for etching out Kaira’s character well.
Shah Rukh Khan plays Dr Jehangir Khan—a shrink who embarks on an unconventional line of treatment for his patient. It is sad that SRK is swaying away from his traditional ‘Raj’ or ‘Rahul’ roles. As such, Shah Rukh’s role can be described more as a special appearance, as Alia is pretty much in every frame. On a reality scale, his portrayal of a psychiatrist might be farthest from the truth. Having said that, SRK still tries to pump some life into his character and succeeds to a great extent. However, Dear Zindagi by no means is his best.
Yashaswini Dayama and Ira Dubey play the roles of Kaira’s besties Fatima and Jackie. They play a small part in the story. Ali Zafar and Angad Bedi as Kaira’s love interests don’t really have much to do.
Cinematography by Laxman Utekar is good.
Music is by Amit Trivedi and some of the numbers will stay with you.
Ae Zindagi Gale Laga le, originally sung by Suresh Wadkar and composed by music maestro Ilayaraja, is remixed with the voices of Arijit Singh and Alia Bhatt. Arijit’s rendition cannot be compared with the original, but Alia’s version has a good feel to it. Love you Zindagi by Jasleen Royal and Amit Trivedi is topping the charts.
Given the theme of being close to the real world and fast-paced life of the next generation, this film could have been a watershed in Bollywood if Gauri had explored the depths of relationships more than what she did. The final product is good for one watch.
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