What is life? Is it about achieving your dreams? Or is it about enjoying every moment that comes along when you are pursuing your search-for-solace? Is it about setting a target and then one day proudly, saying, “Yes, today I have made it!” Or is it just about living every moment of that journey towards your aim, to the fullest, and embracing the tiny little sparks of happiness with open hearts that we so often neglect conveniently. Zoya Akhtar’s second directorial venture, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, probably makes you dwell on these thoughts once you are leaving the cinema halls.
We all have our conceptions about life and how we want to live it. We all have our dreams, passions, desires as well as morals & principles. We strive hard all our life to attain our ultimate target, but very often we forget in doing this that dreams & principles are a part of life and not life in its entirety. ZNMD inculcates these thoughts in the characters around which we get wrapped up for two hours, and as we near the end of these two hours, they have found the true meaning of living life – living it to the fullest, without fear of any kind. And we too, probably, realize it.
Written exceedingly well by Farhan Akhtar, who also plays the impish yet-deep-thinking Imran, ZNMD is the journey of three men – three best friends – who, while on a road trip in Spain to celebrate a Bachelor Party before Kabir’s (Abhay Deol) wedding to Natasha (Kalki Koechlin), conquer their fears and inhibitions of life towards the end of it. Particularly striking is Arjun’s (Hrithik Roshan) tale, who, at first is apprehensive of this trip, lives life inside a box earning dollars, pounds & yens to the thousands in London as a Financial Broker, is a completely transformed man at the end, thanks to Laila (Katrina Kaif) – their diving instructor – and he does not wish this “vacation” to end. So do we.
Life comes full circle for these fellows and they realize what they were missing. Each of them has a personal issue of their own and as they progress on this trip – playing hilarious pranks on complete strangers as well as on each other – they understand the true essence of life and what it is all about. Arjun – a perfectionist & a workaholic – realizes life is about living out of the box, with an open heart & welcoming every moment that comes along with equal pleasure. The deep-sea diving sequence after which he breaks down is very reflective & strong. Imran – a hidden poet & a secretive man, is struggling on the inside after he learns a few secrets life had kept from him – comes to terms with these altercations & understands the true value of doing everything from the bottom of the heart. And Kabir – the inhibitive son of a construction business tycoon, who can’t deal with his possessive fiancé – sheds his inhibitions & accepts the importance of being honest with oneself.
Mind you, it all sounds too preachy or too thoughtful. It IS to an extent, but more importantly, it is about finding the true essence of life. For a Bollywood movie with such a rich cast, you would expect a decent storyline as a basis. But the film relies on tiny aspects between the characters’ relations and the small moments of happiness & true solace of their journey. Some sequences, when they don’t need to speak to communicate & dialogues become a bare formality – are, for me, the highlights of the film. The final sequence of running with the bulls is the best reflection of this – its something that the closest of friends will truly understand. This is where the movie wins.
Every actor does a fantastic job, particularly Abhay Deol. Hrithik gets a character very opposite to his personality, but still he does a brilliant job of it. Being the dialogue writer himself, Farhan Akhtar keeps the best lines for himself, which in a way, hide the fact that he too has done great work. Katrina Kaif, for the first time since New York, is lovable & refreshing. What stands out throughout are Imran’s poems, written by none other than Javed Akhtar. He leaves a mark on your mind, well, if you have listened carefully.
This is where it is different. ZNMD is just not everybody’s cup of tea. It can be slow for some, but that is where its magic lies. It grows on you, well if you are patient enough. It has no such prolific story, but it has those moments full of true spirit of life, moments that you can cherish all your life. If you are one of those who are constantly on the look out for wonderful memories & a life full of surprises, this is a treat served best for you. It might not be a movie with high entertainment quotient, it might not have a profound story to go with it, but one thing that it has which most of the contemporary movies lack is a soul of its own.
4/5
4/5
Omkar Divekar
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