Dear Zindagi (2016)

What makes it different from others?

Very Cool!!!

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Many criticized this movie because of all these variables that are truly unimportant. I read a review which calls Akira a pig...how? The review told she should blame her past, when she wears "hip" clothes and goes out and parties. I completely disagree. She went to therapy because of the loss of the love she got in her childhood. She is young and can wear what she wants (clothes don't define you). Her going out and drinking do not reflect off the main issue that character is facing, in fact, it is more of a distraction from her problem. This movie was just showing how someone's past affects someone and why therapy shouldn't be looked down upon when it is one the most helpful thing you can ever do. This movie is judged somewhat harshly but is so real. There is nothing bubbly/fake/ditsy about it. Sure it has some cliché scenes, but then there are scenes that will make you ponder about our life itself. MUST WATCH!

In a nutshell, DEAR ZINDAGI was much ado about nothing. I regretted buying the DVD. What a let down especially for a Shahrukh Khan film.First the plus points: Alia Bhatt acted very well. I wonder if she is like that in real life! Shahrukh Khan acted his usual superb way, he really is a class actor, if anything he was the saving grace for this feeble plot. Goa was depicted as the pretty and picturesque place that it certainly is. The cinematography was good.Now for the bad bit: What really failed was the plot which went on and on and on and on to the point of boredom. There was no need to drag the story out to such an extent.The story also does not really connect, and would in fact connect only with a small metropolitan audience. To begin with, millions of Indians are migrant workers domestically and in the Gulf, so as to provide their families with a better standard of living. They all leave their families behind, often for years. Those left behind kids do not have the luxury of suffering from anxiety syndrome and personality disorders as depicted for Alia Bhatt. Those kids do not have the luxury of seeking a therapist. Those kids just have to get on with life and make the best of it. In all probability those kids do not even think that they have a personality disorder just because their parents left them behind to earn a better living!To summarise, this was a boring film that could have been made much shorter.

Given 4 stars only for SRK. Felt comfort only with the screen presence of SRK. Utterly boring, fake characterizations.I am ready to accept some offbeat movies and content based ones. Take Tamasha, Pink, Jolly LLB, Udta Punjab etc But, could watch only in bits & pieces. Thank my stars for missing this in theaters.Nearly, 50 mins in to the movie, i did not find anything worth remembering.I can say confidently, some of the documentaries are far more engrossing than this psychological torture.Bottom line is that i don't understand this movie and the high ratings given for this.

Gauri Shinde's 'English Vinglish' was way better than Dear Zindagi. Yet Dear Zindagi is a good movie not because of the story or the screenplay but due to the stellar performance of Alia Bhatt. She compensates for the weaknesses of the movie. The topic of the movie is quite unique which may be the biggest plus point that this movie has. Also, it is to see that SRK has accepted this role and considered to play the supporting actor because he seems to be perfect for the role of Jahangir Khan and I expect to see the same old SRK- the actor more in the future. One of the things that I disliked about this movie is the editing. The movie could have easily shortened by 10-15 minutes. The therapy sessions between Kaira and Jag are good but at times Jag seems to be quite preachy. This movie is not for everyone. If you love entertaining masala movies stay away from this movie. Mental Stress is a major issue today and it is a good thing that Gauri Shinde has tried to highlight this issue in this movie. Overall this is not a flawless movie but still is a good one.