Movie- Dear Zindagi
Director- Gauri Shinde
Cast- Aalia Bhatt, Shahrukh Khan, Ira Dubey, Yashaswini Dayama
Genre- Drama
Gauri Shinde picks out her themes right from the middle of our everyday lives; simple but profoundly meaningful. Her movies may not cater to a wide audience but to those who care to explore the layers to the movie, it will leave you with a warm feeling inside. Dear Zindagi is a beautiful movie with just the right cast, right scenery, right songs and an extraordinary storyline.
Kyra (Aalia Bhatt), a successful ad film director, has a tough love life. She falls in love, might even find the right guy but when it comes to committing, she will take the first exit on her way out. An unexpected trip back home to Goa introduces her to Dr. Jehangir Khan (Shahrukh Khan) and she sets off on a journey to address, redress her fears and rediscover herself.
Dear Zindagi has several parallel themes running into each other. This is not just Kyra’s story, it is the story about being parents and being children, of being in love and falling out of it, of being the therapist and being on the couch. The most poignant story here is the relationship between the therapist and the client. Shahrukh and Aalia share a adorable on screen chemistry. Aalia has a natural ability to adapt to her character and bring out its nuances subtly. She has beautifully portrayed the challenges of growing up. Shahrukh’s role is more reliant on his dialogues. Strong dialogues and its Khan style delivery will have you glued to the screen gooey eyed. Though the rest of the cast flit in and out in bits, their presence and contribution to the movie is noteworthy.
The movie is shot in Goa. Laxman Utekar, the cinematograpger has chosen some very distinct settings for Kyra and Jehangir’s therapy settings. My favourite is the beach side scene which also managed to catch eyes in the trailers. The script by Gauri Shinde is flawless. You may come back home with different messages and scenes but the feeling the movie leaves you with is common- comforted!
Dear Zindagi is a must watch for movie lovers. As the year is nearing an end we have many interesting scripts lined. Let’s begin with this one.
My verdict: ****
