'Dear Zindagi' is not a complete waste of time, it is not a whole misfire, and requires little suspension of disbelief. But despite its pleasant outcomes, nice performances of Alia Bhatt and Shahrukh Khan and overall a respectable directorial value of Gauri Shinde, it does little to achieve that emotional, animated but far from manipulative psychological therapy, and finally, doesn't quiet get there. It is a tad overlong as well. But to give it a shot, there are more than a few reasons and fine craft makes it one of the still better Hindi films of the year.

Gauri Shinde talks about original stories. While English Vinglish (2012) was a triumph, this drama is a tad artificial and long-winded.



Kaira (Alia Bhatt) is a girl who is troubled, selfish, pretentious, jealous, emotional, irritable, restless, disturbed, and other 596 things the society generally associates with mental health problems. She is an aspiring cinematographer who is independent but has possible parent issues. However, what is specifically wrong with her is not clear to us, let only to herself. And the story follows her life as she tries to cope with her personal and professional lives, often hitting roadblocks in romantic relationships, and eventually finding solace in a psychiatrist named Jehangir (Shah Rukh Khan).



The theme of mental health is surprisingly new to Bollywood, and we should thank Ms Shinde for etching a story about it. Regardless, there are issues with her execution. One will have no sympathy for Kaira, who seems like a woman who no one would want to be around with. Of course, she has problems and that is the reason why she is that way. But, instead of addressing thee issues as an adult who is 25, Kaira tries to blame others for her problems. Her pretentious attitude and no care for what is happening around her and to the ones she possibly cares about maybe true to the backstory, but will definitely cause you some irritation. Calling it drama would be a travesty, as Kaira also pretends to be a humanitarian trying to pull herself together. Yet she derives pleasure and closure from relationships by going to supermarkets and randomly breaking pickle jars.



The first half is pro-feminist. I mention this because it's all over the place to the point that one would have Kaira take some medical help than let another pro-feminist shoot her as a child with issues. Ms Shinde tries to represent the current generation (millennials) who are collectively irritated by their mothers, but the end product is a convoluted presentation of her interpretations. Thankfully, Kaira does get medial help, and finally the story gathers useful steam. SRK's entry is medicine both to Kaira and to the audience. Viewers will get respite from them millennials who quote William Faulkner and indirectly endorse eBay and Godrej's Nature's Basket while at it.



Jehangir likes to quote Einstein; so you know what happens in the second half. The contrived story arcs are at bay now as Kaira teams up with her psychiatrist and throws potshots at stereotypes in the world. There are some really fine moments here as we are taken deep into the real problem of mental health issues experienced by the young generation of today. Apart from his inside stories, SRK's character brings joy and relief to the screen.



Alia Bhatt is brilliant as the troubled child, while SRK acts like he's doing a favor by acting. Bhatt lives her character and succeeds in enacting the nuances associated with it, which is clear as sky in this tale which is largely shot in Goa. The supporting cast is well- directed, but averagely written. Happy to see Ira Dubey after her act with Imad Shah in M Cream (2014). Ali Zafar also astonishingly applies himself and refrains from showing his pearl whites in intervals of 11 seconds. The film partly works because of Bhatt's radiant performance.



Overall, its evident that Ms Shinde had the intentions of cleansing this world of doubts about mental health and/or stereotypes against women. I wouldn't say she succeeds fully, but she could have instead written a Medium post and be done with it. Audience could have then read Jenny Lawson's "Furiously Happy" for an extension of that post. Unfortunately, he we are with a film which looks like an extension of Imtiaz Ali's Highway (2014).



Mental health problems are real, and it's time we realize that. Watching this film should not only be about entertainment, but owning up to the cause. Then can we say that the film's a triumph. If not, it can just be an afternoon family watch.



BOTTOM LINE: Gauri Shinde's "Dear Zindagi" is a thoughtful film with polarizing two halves which talks about real problems of the real world, only with a tepid sense and meandering approach. Watch it on DVD for Bhatt.



Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO

After a plethora of sequels in the past couple of weeks which more or less bordered on mediocrity (except for maybe "Force 2"), we finally have one which promises to keep the audience entertained. It happens to be Gauri Shinde's "Dear Zindagi" which has SRK & Alia Bhatt in the lead. They were the first guests in this season of "Koffee With Karan" (who is also one of the producers) & from the lively vibe they shared, they would have dazzled in the movie as well. The promos has been quite catchy & the same applies to the songs as well which has become chart busters. So did it live upto expectations???

Kiara (Alia Bhatt) is a talented upcoming cinematographer, who was on the lookout for a big break which would elevate her to the elite league. Even though her career was on the rise, her personal life seemed to be in turmoil as she was emotionally insecure. Kiara shared a rather cold relationship with her parents & also feared commitment calls which invariably meant she ended up hurting the guys with whom she was romantically linked. After one such breakup, Kiara headed back to her parents in Goa hoping that a change in environment will help to calm her nerves. But she found it hard to handle it by herself & sought the help of a psychiatrist, Dr Jehangir Khan aka Jug (SRK). How he helps her out & makes her embrace life is what the movie is about.

Gauri Shinde is a person who doesnt need much of an introduction even though she just has one movie to her credit which incidentally happened to be the commercially & critically acclaimed "English Vinglish". Just as in her previous venture, this time too she has taken up the responsibility of penning the script & screenplay. One of the emphatic message in "English Vinglish" was that children need to be more understanding about their parents shortcomings while over here, parents has to understand that their presence is essential for their children in their formative years. However, it doesnt quite impress in the same manner as this seemed to be kinda superficial & didnt make us feel invested in the story. But there are quite a couple of sequences which were brilliant be it the one where Alia vents out her anger & frustrations at her family or the climax sequence where she breaks down in front of SRK. Laxman Utekar deserves praise for his impressive frames & the same applies to Amit Trivedi for his music which was quite endearing.

A couple of days back, I happened to read an article in NDTV which said Anil Kapoor expressed confidence that if the awards weren't rigged then his daughter Sonam will sweep the best actress awards for her role in "Neerja. Well to be frank, I doubt anyone else stands a chance apart from Alia who was brilliant in "Udta Punjab" & has given a thumping performance here as well. It was a difficult character to portray coz of the various shades, but she has done it skillfully without overdoing it. Inspite of playing second fiddle to her character, SRK has done a fantastic job as he lighted up the screen with his charisma. Almost all of the supporting cast has done a fine job such as Ira Dubey, Yashaswini Dayama, Kunal Kapoor etc.

Verdict: From the promos itself, it's kinda evident that it is a type of movie which caters to the multiplex audience. But even for them as well, the lack of an engaging script will prove to be its downfall. In short, many would find the therapy sessions repetitive & would yearn for the exit but it is still worth a watch for Alia & SRK!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben