bollywood

Dear Zindagi Is So Much More Alia Than SRK, and Thank God for That

 

I'm not ashamed to admit that I fell for all the Dear Zindagi hype.

I watched every teaser as soon as it came out, hooked by the soft focus, the fact that the movie was going to revolve around mental health and therapy, its conversational style, and the easy chemistry that seemed apparent between Alia's Kaira and Shah Rukh's Dr. Jehangir.
The movie, when I finally got to watch it, took a while to get to its point. It starts off by setting Kaira up as the perfect, closed-off, complex, heroine—effortlessly pretty, endlessly talented in her chosen craft (cinematography), and so, so, so unlucky in love.

Much of the first half is devoted to this. The movie even goes so far as to give Kunal Kapoor's Raghuvendra the line: "Why are you so complicated?!" as he looks at Kaira with confusion and adoration.

So okay, we get it, she's complicated.

When Dear Zindagi finally makes its point, though, it's a strong one.

The Good

We need more movies to say what this movie is saying—therapy is normal and mental health warrants concern. There is nothing wrong with going to a "dimaag ka doctor".

It also helps that Alia Bhatt has never been better.

This is the actor at the top of her game. The script lets her down in some places, but she soldiers on anyway, bringing a restrained, realistic acting style to her role. Her breakdowns feel real. Her confusion feels honest.

The Bad

Try as it might, the movie couldn't escape Bollywood conventions.

Of course, Kaira had to be flawless. She's selfish and completely self-absorbed, but that's something the movie timidly skips around. She leaves broken hearts in her wake like she was born to do it, treats the men who seem to fall for her by the dozen like they're nothing more than momentary entertainment, but the movie chooses to focus solely on her struggle.