Dear Zindagi (2016) User Reviews (186)

Effortless Direction by Gauri Shindhe and this deserves an Applause..

[umashankarpati1997 · 8/10 · 25 November 2016]

After English Vinglish, Gauri Shinde is Back with Bang! She Directed the film very well. Music is simply Soulful, #LoveYouZindagi and #AeZindagiGaleLagaLe is already HIT Among the Youth. Cinematography is Eye Catching. Watertight Story & Screenplay. There is no dull moment throughout the flick. Fast Paced First & Second Half. That's the finest part of the film. Classy Production Designing, Editing is Sharp & Crispy. Climax is simply Outstanding. Dialogues are well written & wonderful at many places.  Shah Rukh Khan is a breath of fresh air. Right from the first scene to his final scene. His and Alia Bhatt's chemistry was brilliant.  Story was very thought provoking.It changes the way you look at your life at your destiny.Story is pure work of class and hard work put in by Gauri Shinde. "Don't let your past blackmail your present to ruin your beautiful future. SHAH RUKH's charm took the movie to a different level. This movie is not a genre of all the audiences but for the ones who love classy Movies not massy ones.

Pros: Shah Rukh back at his best. Great and flawless story. Cinematography is brilliant All the hard work put in by whole team

Cons:None that I can find, only thing is the editing could have been more better and the music could have been more good.

At the end I strongly recommend it to everyone to go and watch this movie. Its one in a million type of movie.Don't miss it. So I Rate it 8 out of 10 stars but this film is a classic.

Just Misses a 'Classic' Tag but still a Must Watch Film !

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 8/10 · 25 November 2016]

DEAR ZINDAGI REVIEW : It's Second Consecutive Classic for Director Gauri Shinde, Best Film Of Aliaa Bhatt's Career till now and Best Film of SRK as a Supporting Actor. I think my first sentence is enough to describe so much about film, still i'm excited to write more.

Story - It's Simple, realistic and Interesting story but still No one has ever dared to make a Film on it, so Gauri Wins it here only. Some scenes looks repetitive and unnecessary but still it has everything to Impress audience.

Acting - If you think Highway was best what Aliaa could have done then Dear Zindagi proves it wrong. Aliaa raises her bar, her Best Performance till date. She will fight with Sonam Kapoor for Best Actress Award this year. SRK steals the show from the very first appearance, and keeps you hook till the End with his Unbeatable Charm. I expect Best Supporting Actor Award for him. He made it look like that Character is written for him only. Supporting Starcast is Highly impressive.

Screenplay - With Runtime of 149 Minutes Dear Zindagi has Entertaining and Engaged Screenplay. Few scenes are just Highly Classy like I could not resist and sent Flying Kisses to Screen and SRK's Last Scene makes you Senti. It nearly does not have any loo breaks, only few Moments in 2nd half might irritate you.

Music - We all Know Amit Trivedi never delivered Massy Chartbuster Album, but his Music helps Film's Screenplay and theme. Not a Single Hit Song but 'Just Go To Hell' is terrific Situational Song, 'Love You Zindagi' is good as an Audio, 'Tu Hi Hai' is a Let down.

Dialogues - As it is an Offbeat and Multiplex Audience Film, almost 30% dialogues are in English. Few Clap Worthy, Deep and Life Lessons type of Dialogues are there along with couple of Vulgar words.

Cinematography - Film looks fresh and eye pleasing for almost every scene but few scenes could have been shot better. Natural beauty has been captured well.

Direction - I loved and started believing Gauri Shinde with her very first flick English Vinglish and she doesn't break Belief here. Direction is Top Class especially in some Motivational Scenes. Few scenes have minuses, for instance Make up, Aliaa looks dull in couple of scenes and SRK looks 10 year older in that Ship scene. Gauri Shinde should be the Best Female Director in today's Era. But the Problem is Both of her Films are only for Multiplex Audience, i would love to see her making a Massy + Classy Film. No doubts, No One could have dared to make Urban Classic films English Vinglish and Dear Zindagi except Gauri Shinde.

Final Words - Dear Zindagi should be considered as Highly Urban Audience Classic, actually its not a Classic for me i mean Gauri just missed that Tag by few Inches, but still it is a Must Watch film for Classes. After watching film you will come back home with some Life Lessons and might try to live Life in Different way. Thank you Gauri, Aliaa and SRK for this Beautiful and Sweet Film. I would have gone with 7/10* Stars but giving 8/10* stars, 1 Extra for that SRK's never ending Charm. Go for it, do not miss this Kaira and Jug's Sweet Journey...

Philosophical as much as Fortune Cookies goes..

[anupapu8 · 6/10 · 25 November 2016]

DEAR ZINDAGI - Why English WINGLISH(debut movie of the director) was a great film is that it was very much relatable to real life. Thats not the case here. All this movie wants to do is to teach about ZINDAGI , but most of the things happened in the movie is either things which you don't relate or the things you already knows. Take this as a basis, KAIRA (Alia) is an independent working girl. Ambitious , beautiful , attract a lot of boys , have very good friends, getting good opportunities at work as cinematographer(that's pretty awesome) still she has a lot of problem. Its like you are unhappy with everything happening good in your life. And there is no bad luck , anything bad happens in her life were just because of her bad decisions. And those problems were by themselves were not that big as big as KAIRA makes them. i mean she cries because his landlord said her to leave her room because she is not married. So what , she wasn't poor or something , its not like she will not get anymore rooms in Mumbai , whats the big deal. Thats the big reason why its hard to sympathies for her. All the breakups she does are her own decisions , not a single boy in the film is really a bad person. In-fact nobody did anything wrong with her. She doesn't even behave good around her parents. WHY? . Well the movie did answer that question , almost after 80% movie is finished. And that time you were not in the mood of thinking all the way back to those uninteresting and long therapy sessions as its a 2 an a half hour unnecessarily long film. Alia is good , but she never matches what she did in HIGHWAY or UDTA PUNJAB , but cant complain. Some scenes were there when she shows her real potential , but those were very few. SRK is just SRK. He just talked normally. Like he talks in Koffee With Karan or like he cracks jokes in Kapil Sharma show. His character doesn't have anything unique to make him different from the personality of SRK himself. Among the boyfriends i like Ali Zafar most. Its too bad that two songs sung by himself in the movie has been released in Arijit Singh's voice in the music album. i Don't understand this obsession of everybody with Arijit Singh. By the way , songs doesn't add much to the movie. Direction is good but the screenplay is weak. The movies have too many conversation , which should have been interesting but its not. SRK in running through a rough patch. Dilwale and FAN both were flop. And FAN was definitely better then this. So i don't think much of a good result here at the box office. DEAR ZINDAGI is definitely not a movie to watch in theater , not even a must watch on your laptop , nor much of anything for die hard SRK fans (their may be something for ALia's fans). Although i am not saying its a bad movie , but its hard to give you an exact reason to watch this movie except for burning time. Unless you are too much frustrated with you life and don't know what to do, those will be the only kind of persons who can rightfully relate to this movie. Everybody else just chill out , because life is too sweet to hate it. 6.4/10 By ANuP APu KuMaR

Resist the urge to turn this one off!! Really...keep watching and allow it to impress you.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 20 October 2021]

I need to warn you about "Dear Zingadi". It's a film you likely will not enjoy...at least for the first half of the story. Now this does NOT mean you shouldn't see it. On the contrary, it's a really amazing film...one of the best Bollywood films I've seen in some time.

The story is about Kaira (Alia Bhatt) a young woman who SHOULD be happy but desperately hates herself and her life...though she really has no idea this is so. But she knows she's vaguely unsatisfied...particularly in most of her close relationships. She is disconnected emotionally from her parents and she has a series of relationships or near relationships with men where she destroys them. Eventually, she does something drastic...she seeks therapy.

Her therapist, Dr. Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) is extremely odd and repeatedly he says and does things which confuse her. He certainly does NOT act like a therapist and she often leaves sessions a bit confused. Where is all this leading? See the film and don't try to guess why!

While the film isn't perfect, it's actually one of the best films I've seen about psychotherapy and the therapeutic process. Being a trained psychotherapist myself, I could really appreciate this. Sure...they didn't get every detail perfect...but the writing for Kaira and SRK was spot on...and very intelligent as well.

Overall, this is a difficult film to predict as it often avoids the usual cliches. Often you see them coming...only to have the film go a different direction. This is particularly true with Kaira...as at first she seemed like the overused cliche of the spoiled rich girl who eventually becomes kind and decent. And, when it didn't exactly go that way, I was thrilled. The same can be said about the therapist. Dr. Khan's bowing out of her life was done in a somewhat unexpected manner...and I love it when films surprise me. To top this off, kudos to Bhatt for her fine acting...and you really notice this late in the film. As for SRK, he's wonderful...like we know he can be when he gets excellent material. A nearly perfect film.

By the way, if you care, the inkblots you see from the Rorschach Test in the film are two real ones. Often TV and films show fake ones but they are the real thing.

Dear Zindagi is like a therapy..What an Experience!!

[rangdetumpy · 25 November 2016]

Dear Gauri Shinde,

Thanks for gifting us a story where the journey is more important than the destination. One needs courage to make an intrusive film on a young individual's internal complications and involve us in her expedition. Eventually the therapeutic route engulfs us to an extent that we start our quest for happiness within our imperfection existence. And therein lies your success, your ability to convey some simple yet deep statements about Life without striking with a sledgehammer to prove your point.

And thankfully there's no excessive drama – what a beauty!! Yeah, the narrative is verbose but those dialogues are so free flowing and real. Many a times I didn't feel like watching a movie.

Thanks again, for gifting us Dr Jehangir "Jugs" Khan. A life-mentor like him around can prompt any soul to sing "Love you Zindagi". Lots of thanks for giving Shah Rukh Khan a scope for a restained performance. His gentle, calm aura is infectious. And it seems Alia Bhatt can't go wrong... Dear Zindagi belongs to her and it is yet another triumph for this young talent. Also, convey my note to your casting director for the flawless casting (one who played Jackie is my fav), Laxman Utekar for the cinematography & Amit Trivedi (ofcourse). The protagonist's issues are very urban centric and the decision to release it only 1100 screens is spot-on.

Be it problem of house wives or millennial, you seem to hit the right chords... These two beautifully crafted slice-of-life films surely make you a sought after director in my list.

A heartfelt film with all heart & heart……and the statement on parenting..

Yours thankfully, An ardent (& momentarily happy) cine-lover

P.S : "you and only you is the teacher of your School of life" - a much required statement that should flow into our psyche....

SRK is now officially back....First Fan and now Dear Zindagi

[alisheraz587 · 10/10 · 24 November 2016]

Let me get this straight this is one of the best movies of year..

If an actor is making commercial movies more often than there comes a time in his life when audience get sick of his usual attitude towards selection of script.Then the actor starts to realize that now time has come to let everyone know that he got some acting skills.This was the situation of Shah Rukh Khan.His last few movies were all commercial with Fan being an exception.It was his time to return and shut all of his critics.But man o man how did he comeback.Truly sensational.

Now let's get back to movie.

Preview(No spoilers): Movie is about a girl who is desperate who is fighting all the hardships of life.Her on again off again love life until she meets this middle aged psychiatrist Jehangir which teaches her how to be free, how to say no to life, how to live it in your own way.

Direction:As everybody here knows that movie's director is Gauri Shinde.She debuted with English Vinglish which was both commercial and critical success.This is Gauri's second directorial venture and she totally nailed it.Movie is almost as flawless as it gets.I rarely found a glitch in it.Indeed the movie shows her hard work.

Acting:As movie's mainly focused on Alia Bhatt's character so let's first discuss her. She gives her truly best and her character was brought to life by her.She is god gifted and has a lot of talent. This girl will surely go a long way in her career. And then there is Shah Rukh Khan.I actually watched this movie because of him.Earlier this year his Fan was released.The movie didn't do well on Box Office but was a really great movie and SRK nailed both the characters.Like Fan he was the main highlight of the Dear Zindagi too.His sarcasm his cuteness and above all his acting in this movie is absolutely out of the world.As he faced a lot of criticism for Dilwal,Happy New Year,Chennai Express etc but now he is back to shut all of his critics.

Cinematography:Movie does well in this section too.It was interesting how the story progressed with time.

Story:Story is as simple as it gets and yet very complicated.It was very thought provoking.It changes the way you look at your life at your destiny.Story is pure work of class and hard work put in by Gauri Shinde.

Overall:Overall the movie is very likable.Even hours later of watching it it stayed on top of my mind.

Pros:+Shah Rukh back to his best.

+Great and flawless story.

+Cinematography

+All the hard work put in by whole team

Cons:None that I can find.

At the end I strongly recommend it to everyone to go and watch this movie. Its one in a million type of movie.Don't miss it

A failed quick-job

[ammy-sinha · 6/10 · 26 November 2016]

Dear Zindagi is a desperate attempt at creating a soulful movie. The attempt to show struggles of today's generation hasn't been dealt with properly.

The direction lacks conviction. It seems more like a rushed job to create an artistic movie.

Shahrukh and his charm are intact but the direction and lack of sub plots that build a character fail him. The acting is average, while the ensemble cast is below average.

Kudos to Shahrukh and Gauri Shinde for experimenting, however his movie could have been way better. Alia was okay reprising her part.

Gauri Shinde after the success of English Vinglish perhaps got carried away while SRK seems to be trying his best to find his lost mojo! The short movie within the movie was the most disappointing

Will nurture all the broken hearts out there.

[maulin5 · 9/10 · 25 November 2016]

Everyone knows that this is another classic film of this year. The movie - Pink shows us about the freedom of a girl, her choices and her decisions, with a little bit of negativity around her. But, this film offers you only positive vibes.

Directed by Gauri Shinde, who earlier made English Vinglish, comes up with a really fresh concept. Starring the leading actress of this generation, Alia Bhatt & the superb actor Shah Rukh Khan.

What should a girl do to find out a perfect match for her, what are her fears, her break-ups and link-ups, her relations with her family members, especially when she had a dull past in her kitty, and then how to overcome all the worries of life with a smile and be happy! - This is what the film is.

If you loved English Vinglish type films, than you will give it 5 out of 5. Otherwise don't go to make some noise with your chit-chats, that irritates a lot to a true viewer. I'm happy that I didn't face it in this film.

What to tell about the performance! I mean, Alia was extraordinary in Udta Punjab, so I think she would get the award for that film. I guess, this film would get her nominations in all the ceremony, for sure. She is just a cutie-pie. I'm declaring her the best actress of this generation. SRK is at his best. After Fan, this is again a power-booster for his so called Changed Filmography which was started with Fan. After this, Raees and The Ring are there, so all the fans, just come up to applause his choices.

Every other actors are totally good with their respective roles. But, I would like to mention Ali Zafar. This guy is such a talented man. His voice quality is superb. He plays a suitable role to his real life. All songs are like cherries on the cake. Amit Trivedi had given the music to suit the situation and the though of the lyrics. While, Kausar Munir as a lyric writer is also good, as three songs are in my mind right now, Just Go To Hell O Dil, Taareefon Se & Love You Zindagi.

Cinematography is perfect. Set-ups, locations of Goa, costumes - everything just comes to the place perfectly, and that's why the film looks so fresh and engaging.

The best part of the film is its dialogues. Especially those which are spoken by Dr. Jehangir Khan, that is SRK. "Don't let your past blackmail your present to ruin your future." All the girls out there, just go for it. All the members of that so called 'Society' has to definitely go and watch this. Every broken heart wants a nurture, and Dear Zindagi will provide you that. Kudos and cheers to the entire team!

Could have been better

[c-rohitash · 6/10 · 26 November 2016]

The story could have been better with more cases handled by Dr. Khan who gave a good performance and valuable perspectives about life and relationships. Alia Bhatt played a role which did not actually need extra focus which made the movie quite boring.

More characters with psychological problems handled by Dr. Khan would have given much weight to the story. Alia Bhatt character showed the status of a confused generation torn between west and eastern culture that fails to understand the difficulties parents go through to offer a luxurious life to children yet they are ignored. This is the escapist wannabe generation who tries to copy the west and get their psychological problems.

Cannot be compared to Dhoni and Pink which were brilliant. Nonetheless, I give this 7 over 10 for an attempt .

Dear Zindagi.. A heave of fresh air...

[rajawithu · 9/10 · 26 November 2016]

Dear Zindagi… The second directorial venture by Gauri Shinde is like a heave of fresh air amidst the daily hustle and bustle of our busy, monotonous and somewhat mechanical life. At times, one just needs to stop by, appreciate one's beautiful life and say "Dear Zindagi, we haven't met for a while, so just came by to say, 'Hi'…" just as Alia Bhatt does at the end of the film. The movie is not for people looking forward to a 'masala flick' or some intense romantic offering by Mr. Shah Rukh Khan. It mainly gives you a 2.5 hour of 'soul-searching' opportunity wherein you can shower nothing else but only appreciation and praise for the sheer acting prowess demonstrated by Ms. Alia Bhatt, playing a cinematographer in the film. She emotes and connects effortlessly. It is her film. She proves again that why she is undoubtedly one of the best actors of her time. Coming to Dr. Jehangir Khan (Mr. Shah Rukh Khan), a psychiatrist by profession, you realize how simplicity can sometimes be a Genius. There is no question about his acting, but off late, his choice of roles was being doubted and the standard of movies he was acting in. But in this movie, he proves his mettle yet again. He doesn't let you feel his star presence and overshadow Alia, but helps her acting genius flow in the river of his experience, persona, poise and simplicity. He is a complete treat to our eyes and hearts. The entire supporting cast does a decent job as well. The film successfully tickles your funny bone in parts but seems to be a bit stretchy in the middle and slows down, but gears up as the end approaches. Gauri Shinde's direction is good, if not extraordinary, given the expectations I had from her, post English Vinglish. The music by Amit Trivedi is worth accolades and does justice to the film. Overall, the film has a 'feel-good' factor and the audience would relate to Leonardo da Vinci's apt quote that "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" while leaving the theaters with a smile on their faces

Nice execution but weak plot.

[RosariaAndrew · 6/10 · 24 August 2020]

This film has got some real good talents like ShahRukh Khan and Alia bhatt. The ultimate message of the film is also great but the entire plot is really weak. There is no hook in the story which makes it stand out the rest. Though the Psychologist and patient relationship is shown good enough but the lead protagonist has no deep back story. A lot was expected out of this one but kind of misfits the Story part.

Gauri Shinde knows how to make you smile. Brings us the finest performance of Alia Bhatt with a commendable SRK as her support.

[kamran_3012 · 9/10 · 24 November 2016]

Finally saw Dear Zindagi. I hope this one isn't as exaggerated as my previous reviews. Gauri Shinde is a really brilliant director, she knows how make good characters by casting perfect actors in them. Alia Bhatt plays the role of a life time. She is excellent through out the movie. The character has extreme depth and very well written. Her performance is almost as good as her role in Udta Punjab if not better. Shah Rukh Khan is a breath of fresh air. Right from the first scene to his final scene. His and Alia Bhatt's chemistry was brilliant. Great Role by him. Ali Zafar, Kunal Kapoor, Angad Bedi and Aditya Roy Kapur are extremely well placed and help Kiara's story move forward. Pluses- Story, Acting, Cinematography, Second half, The scenes which feature Srk and Alia. The family moments of Kiara and her family, her Friends. The execution of the entire movie from event to event. The whole final act which leaves you in a happy mood. The breakdown sequence. The maturity in the direction which takes the movie into a new level. The Dialogues given to SRK. Negatives- The music is good but isn't great. The Editing in the first half could have been better. If you have enjoyed movies like Wake Up Sid, Kapoor and Sons Rockstar, Queen, English Vinglish . Go for this one. One of the best movies of the year. Something which has come kind of close to Udta Punjab.

Why do the make a film with no story arc?

[ShitizSays · 6/10 · 3 November 2019]

I still didn't understand the purpose of making this film. The only thing i liked about this film was that it didn't give me a headache. The movie was a simple breeze of fresh air and story moved forward with snail pace. Shahrukh did what he does best, played himself. Alia again was a surprise. Is there anything that Alia Bhatt can't do. If nepotism looks like this, then I want more nepotism from industry. sorry, Just kidding. Like industry already isn't closed for outsiders. Anyways, the film is all about Alia trying to find that why is she is so mean yet sweet to everybody. Her conflicting nature is something that people don't understand and she herself doesn't understand. Comes Mr. Khan whose own life is in shambles but wouldn't mind giving therapy to Alia in highly unconventional manner to earn some extra bucks. His advises are good and then comes a very predictable plot twist. Alia falls in love with Khan. Duh, who didn't see that coming. Anyways, the direction of Gauri Shinde is ok if not bad. Screenplay needed more work and more events instead of just roaming around few locations. Secondary cast needed to be better and I think they just casted them frivolously without bothering who was playing what. I might have done the same knowing i have SRK and Alia in my film. Cinematography by Laxman Utekar is good and editing could have been more crisp. Production design in first half is not impressive but gets better in second half in real locations. Over all a decent watch, but not something praiseworthy.

I caught myself rolling my eyes a lot.

[sukh-92191 · 2/10 · 5 December 2016]

I saw so many good reviews about this movie, and finally made plans to see it for a couple of reasons. 1. It wasn't just another Bollywood love story. 2. SRK looks very age appropriate, and no signs of overacting in the promos. 3. Love the title song.

Sadly, after watching the movie, I walked out liking only those 3 things.

One of the main problems I found with this movie was that I couldn't relate nor sympathize with the main character, Kaira. She comes off so mean spirited, spoiled, entitled, and self absorbed that its hard to see her beyond that. She is genuinely mean towards her friends, as well as both of the boys she is involved with in the beginning.

Secondly, all that buildup and the depth of her actions, you wonder what big tragedy occurred in her life that led her to become this person? and imagine my face when you realize this is all because mom and dad were trying to deal with an unexpected financial crisis when she was young, so they left her with the grandparents, so she was mad, but then they came back and by then she wanted to live with her grandparents...What? THAT lead to all these issues. THATS IT?

Also, the lashing out at her parents, the inability to have an adult conversation, to inability to think that people may have a mind of their own and have a life beyond her makes this more of coming of age, teenage drama, not a story of a grown professional young adult who has made it this far with absolutely no maturity. Even the lessons SRK teaches her, makes you think, how did this girl make it past 6th grade without knowing the basics of life?

I felt myself feeling more for the people who came in contact with her than the character herself. The poor heartbroken bf at the beginning, the couple who apologize for bumping into her and are almost thrown a rock at, her parents, her friends, and Raghuvendra, who was respectful and was disrespected publicly many a times, and the shop keeper who had to clean the floor after she starts breaking jars.

Anyways, overlooking Kaira, the movie is boring as heck. The last hour I was just waiting for the end, and it kept dragging, with the same conversations, and the same room.

Trust me, give it a miss. You'll walk out shaking your head.

LIVE it with Alia, SRK, Gauri !!

[kashyappk · 10/10 · 25 November 2016]

Dear Zindagi is an awesome experience. Truly, an experience to be lived. Alia carries all the film on her own shoulders, with SRK giving the required support. Alia has had a sensational year. So, let's first talk about the man who has had a pathetic run at the box office as well on the hearts of his audience for closely 2 years... SHAH RUKH KHAN. He is the man, who every girl will definitely love to have after watching this film. The extended cameo that he has, has been extremely important for the film. Just as the film is about to loose it's grip, SRK enters and changes everything. He had an unbelievable performance in FAN, and he has an unbelievable performance in Dear Zindagi too. Next, Alia is the soul of the film, who says the words of the youngsters today. The other appearances, which included Kunaal Kapoor, Angad Bedi, Ali Zafar and Aditya Roy Kapoor are extremely awesome to watch. TREAT. All and all, pack your families in your pockets, and run to the theaters as soon as possible. Expect new, different and happiness. Dear Zindagi.

Gauri Shinde nails it the second time too - Alia is the best actress - SRK thank you for doing this part

[sarthakishere-06619 · 10/10 · 24 November 2016]

A beautiful cinematic experience. This movie makes you: laugh, shed a few good tears, feel happy, rethink about your own life, fall in love with Alia, fall in love with SRK all over again. To add to these, it has lovely direction, cinematography and background score! When it comes to acting, everyone has done a fab job. Alia is winning best actress award for sure. SRK was the right choice for this supporting role; I am so glad a Superstar like him agreed to do this role. All other actors were perfect too. After Zoya Akhtar, Gauri Shinde brings new hope to storytelling in Bollywood. Go watch it at a theater near u! Its high time Indian audience supports movies like these. Love you Zindagi!

One scene is badly missing

[neoanderson12 · 6/10 · 16 January 2023]

One scene is badly missing from the whole movie that would have made it an absolute masterpiece. The scene where she confronts her parents about her past and her childhood trauma. If the team barely spent at least 3 minutes on that scene, the movie would have been absolutely mind blowing.

Other than that the whole movie actually does fit to the description and gets to the point. Other than the whole lengthy intro to the main character and her struggle to become a cinematographer.

The movie does a great job of giving out the message that following a therapy and following a treatment for mental trauma is not something to be ashamed of.

Alia bhatt and Shahrukh Khan nailed it and that is how read below

[jhangirkn · 9/10 · 24 November 2016]

Why do I want to write the 4th comment on The Dear Zindagi? I am not sure - almost everything that could be possibly said about it has been said. But like so many other people who wrote comments, I was and am profoundly moved by this simple and eloquent depiction of hope and friendship and redemption.

The only other movie I have ever seen that effects me as strongly is fan and Om Shanti OM. Both movies leave me feeling cleaner for having watched them.

I didn't intend to see this movie at all: I do not like simple movies and I don't normally watch them. , I check out this movie and watch it and it makes me feel better." At the time, I thought that was very strange. I absolutely would not watch under any circumstance or things that I had seen too many times already., so I watched it. I have watched it four times since then and it gets better with every showing.

No action, no special effects - just a girl seeking help with her life.

The fourth best movie I have ever seen. I do not judge it by it's technical merits - I don't really care about that. I have read that ShahRukh Khan have a small role but when I watched it this role really matters a lot. They may have the best technique or be the most influential motion pictures ever made, but not the best. The best movies are ones that touch the soul. It takes a movie like The Dear Zindagi to touch the soul.

Love the movie hate the B-roll filled ending ...... 6/10 {spoilers in the second part of the review}

[jack-2276 · 6/10 · 5 March 2018]

First of the positives.... It is a very well written and directed movie right up to the last 30 mins of the movie which we'll get to in a minute... The performances in this movie are also very well rounded no one was bad and no one other than alia, alia was extraordinary which believe it or not is a major plus for this type of story when you are dealing with such an emotional journey of a character no one around that character should be able to take away the spotlight.... And gauri succeeded in achieving just that ...... Now lets talk about Alia Bhatt's performance she just knocked it out of the park ....in fact 10 minutes into the movie and i forgot that i was watching alia bhatt.. she was so immersed in her character you cannot separate the two of them.... Srk was as always very good but he was just opposite of alia every time he was on screen instead of his character he was playing as if he is srk but is just in a different profession.... So take it as you will.... Now lets talk about the dreaded last half hour of the movie and from here on this review will definitely contains some spoilers at this time the movie has already been aired on television so I don't think spoilers matters but you've been warned.... While watching dear zindagi you can at a very early stage tell where it is going and definitely there will be a big emotional crisendo near the end where alia will pour her heart out and i was waiting for it.... And it was beautiful and moving but mathematically i was distracted by all the overpowering sappy background music and the flashback story of her childhood .... Alia bhatt is a very strong actor who can tap her inner emotions to portray such role and she could have painted a much more surreal image just by her acting but that f***ing b-roll flashback was taking me out of the movie every time it came on screen! What???? you just thought that without your guiding hand of b-roll montage we won't be able to imagine it or connect with the moment .... You know i hate you just because you assumed that your audience is stupid and wont be able to understand what is going on without flashback and you also didn't believe in the abilities of you actress which is even more annoying..... But the worst part of the movie comes after this where writer director gauri shinde tries to give you even bigger emmotional happy ending .... Ohh just go to hell ..... Will ya.... That moment when srk says cheers to you... Was a perfect moment to end the film .....NO!!!.... But you have to give us a sappy stupid happy ending and have to make the female lead fall in love with srk or we'll feel abandoned just like alia felt in the beginning of the the movie ..... I just hate this mentality ..... It was an awesome story and a lovely movie i loved every second of it until she decided that she has to be like every other director, who also assume that audience is stupid and need happy endings and sappy music filled flashbacks..... !!!! OVERALL i give it 6/10

Refreshing movie, Gauri & Alia shines, SRK beats all by performance

[deepak-827-581453 · 10/10 · 24 November 2016]

Dear Zindahi.....relives all your pains from your lives and now you will feel more light and freedom. It heels your inner wound & kill sadness, after watching it you fell new you with more positivity. Performance wise its masterpiece from SRK, never seen him such role portraying. Alia is also cute and did justification with her role. Movie surround around both. Music is average but it will not cut you from story line. Story line is perfect and will touch your inner core. Direction is witty and best parts are location & dialogues. Overall worth every penny and will left you with a lifetime lesson. So go for it. Its kinda mental refreshner.

Fresh take on the struggles of life in modern society

[MovieObsezed · 7/10 · 25 November 2016]

Dear Zindagi is basically an introspective movie on the struggles that we all face and how to tackle them. The movie addresses several topics such as parents' separation, the social stigma of seeing a therapist and problems associated with dating and multiple relationships. These are issues that are generally frowned upon and not well accepted in Indian society. Dear Zindagi does a nice job in presenting these issues in a relatable manner which makes viewers sympathize with all the characters, even the divorced parents. Dating multiple men, especially for women, is portrayed in a positive light which is noteworthy. While both Alia and SRK gave commendable performances, my only complaint would be that SRK's role did not commence sooner.

Overall, although the movie dragged in parts and could have been more concise, the overall message was still beautiful which is to love life and all the ups and downs that come with it. Definitely worth a watch!

worth watch

[pukar-48739 · 10/10 · 29 November 2016]

one of the Amazing movie i have seen in this 2 3 yrs.i feel like i was having massage in my mind and in my whole body.as a fan i am not saying that as a viewer i am saying go and watch a movie in theaters your whole concept about life will be changed.if you love a commercial,action,romantic or any comedy movies than you may feel boring because there is no one of them but there is some part where you get laugh but not like in comedy movies .KING KHAN is awesome as usual in 90's not like in recent 3 4 movies he was back in his own form and you will love him and love towards him will be increase more and alias performance is also awesome and some part of the movie will remind your childhood and all the cast of movies has given their best

Just ain't enough

[sesht · 27 November 2016]

Well, thank god for a few small things. Alia Bhatt's performance is good, if not great. She's proved, time & again, that her talent, as evidenced from her turns in 'Highway' & 'Udta Punjab', is no flash-in-the-pan.

When the 'being Lebanese' joke played itself out, I wondered if Gauri Shinde watched the same comedy show I'd done, where a class-act Stand-up comedienne from Bengaluru had used (created?) the same schtick in her act about a mother and daughter discovering mature content (actually, mom doing the honors and putting the beti on the back foot) on the internet.

Until then, I was wondering where all of this was meandering, but then, I almost felt that this was a lost cause, in spite of director Shinde's excellent work begins the camera in 'English Vinglish', to which there's a strange & unnecessary callback.

Other than the editing & the strangely insipid score, the work done on the technical areas tries to detract from how flat everything else about this supposed affirmation of life is.

Platitudes are thrown left, right & center, & the local board also shows their favoritism by not peppering the frame like they're wont to, the way most big Bollywood flicks get away with, having alcohol & nicotine in the frame without doing all the explaining that other little makers have to.

But there's good stuff. The need for having a therapist, and individual interactions between therapist & patient, is something worth taking home, especially if one belongs to the school of not needing therapy. The locations are well-chosen, as is the production & set design, for a change, in spite of the candyfloss theme overall. The framing is just right, & the faux ending, perfect.

Just wish this one had something more substantial within. Also with it was relatable. There are so many places where better writing would've sufficed, but where, imho, no effort was made.

TV movie, solely for the lead actress' performance, which, like always, is sincere as it's fearless.

Gauri Shinde's only downfall was the writing but the direction and performances kept the movie alive.

[oazam · 7/10 · 25 November 2016]

English Vinglish was the best movie I've ever seen which was directed by Gauri Shinde. After watching it, I simply admired her work as a director. As soon as I heard that she was directing another film, I was very excited especially when she enrolled SRK and Alia. The first 4 teasers were very nice especially on the resonance captured of Goa like the Sea Kabbadi and the Recycle one.

When I saw Shahrukh Khan in Chennai Express, I gave up on him realizing that he does too much overacting. But after Fan, he managed to give a good performance and that raised the bar for me. His performance as a therapist in this movie really kept me to the edge of my seat. After SOTY, I always thought of Alia Bhatt as a overrated actress especially when I saw her in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Shaandaar. But after Kapoor and Sons, she got better and better. This movie was a miracle and her acting as a cinematographer literally reduced my skeptical level. Angad Bedi, Ira Dubey, and Kunal Kapoor were also pretty decent in their pivotal roles.

Although Ali Zafar and Aditya Roy Kapur were the biggest letdowns in the movie although they only appear for a short period of time.

The direction of the movie was simply spot-on. Gauri Shinde managed to shoot Goa very beautifully and captured the resonance really well. After watching this movie made me realize the need of going to Goa so badly.

The story and screenplay were problematic especially for Alia's character for a 2 and a half hour like movie. I felt that the story kept changing throughout the movie and that could be the reason why it lacked depth. I honestly think that the only good thing about Alia is her acting.

The music is above average which was done by Amit Trivedi. There were a few songs that i Liked which were Love you zindagi and Just go to hell dil which I've been listening to on a loop but the rest of the music was okay was less melodious which did lack some magic.

Overall, I liked a good SRK movie after a long time with beautiful direction, good acting, average music but despite the writing, It is still a good film which is why Dear Zindagi is worth-watching at a cinema for SRK lovers but for people like me who didn't like the pacing and writing would be recommendable at a one time watch quotient.

Well-intentioned but quite bland

[Peter_Young · 4/10 · 3 November 2021]

Dear Zindagi is one of the most disappointing films I've recently seen. The film's first pitfall is without a doubt its slow beginning which doesn't build up well enough, and considering everything that the script gives us later into the film, it turns out to be quite unnecessary anyway. The script, indeed, is quite lackluster, but its biggest "competitor" in this regard is Shinde's uninspired direction, which makes what could have been a great emotional drama into a most dull movie experience which lacks conviction and credibility. The same is true of the many different characters which feel contrived. This made me watch the film in pieces. The film does have moments, particularly in the second half, but despite some highly dramatic sequences, like the fight the girl has with her family and her long monologue right after that, it remains somehow uninvolving. That's probably because the writing can't make the entire thing rise above its own banality.

The acting is mostly unconvincing, probably due to the direction. I watched Alia Bhatt in several films where she was absolutely impressive. Had I not seen Highway, Raazi, Udta Punjab and Gully Boy, I might have not been eager to watch her again after this film. She never really becomes or creates a character, as is required by such a part. Throughout the entire film she is seen struggling with her unnecessarily aggressive and irritable part and only occasionally does she manage to make it ring true. She ends up just being a spoiled, privileged brat who is never relatable. I wonder what made a star like Shah Rukh Khan take up this mediocre supporting part. I'd understand his choice had it been something exceptional, but this one is the less interesting version of Shah Rukh Khan - again, no character, no depth. Bhatt and Khan do have their moments together but even that is cliched a lot of the time. And so is this film sadly - a one-time watch at best.