Finally
it happened. I watched Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The title, meaning ‘Lifetime’
can never be got back again, sounds similar to ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ doesn’t it? At
least, that’s what I felt, at the first shot. Few of my friends who watched it
early on, had some really contrasting reviews on the movie, which held me back
from watching it. However, after a long wait, I happened to watch it, and I
really liked it.
It
is more of a Travelogue than a movie. If someone like me would want to record
all the happenings of any tour of mine, it would form a movie similar to this. The
movie doesn’t have a story intact. It is just a sequence of episodes happening
in the lives of certain people. Three friends, Imran (Farhan Akhtar), Kabir
(Abhay Deol) and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan) set out on a trip to Spain, for a
Bachelor party before Kabir’s marriage with Natasha (Kalki Koechlin). Kabir plans
for a Bachelors’ trip to Spain on the occasion of his engagement. Arjun, after
a lot of refusals, agrees to be a part of the trip. So, The Three Musketeers
meet in Barcelona. What happens on their trip, what is it about each one of
them, how they realize certain trivial but vital things during the trip, form
the rest of the story.
Hrithik
really lived the role of an Investment Broker who is struggling between his
personal and professional life, unable to draw the demarcating line. The way he
portrayed delicate feelings in some scenes is really amazing. The
characterization of Imran was the highlight of the movie. Farhan enacted the role
to perfection. His voice was an added asset to the character. Abhay Deol was
again excellent as Kabir. The other actors did fair enough justice to their
roles. However, I can’t miss mentioning Katrina’s bike ride in the movie. She
was really looking like a BOND girl.
Moving
over to the technicians, the cinematographer deserves a ton of applause for the
way in which he captured the beauty of the Spanish motherland. The wide
highways, the exotic beaches, the underwaters, Tomatino, Bull Fight, Air adventures,
and what not, he captured and depicted them to utmost beauty and perfection.
For a moment, I felt like I was watching a High Definition National Geographic
Documentary. Even the editing was excellent and perfectly complemented the
cinematography. Music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy was contextual. The songs were
really good and some of them depicted a local Spaniard touch. Though all the
songs were good, ‘Senorita’ deserves a special mention.
There
is definitely a connect one can make with any of the characters in this movie.
Especially, those who finished their education recently and got into the hectic
jobs, would definitely relate to it and enjoy as well as appreciate the movie.
To
me, this movie is definitely relevant to all such individuals who join the
‘high paying’ jobs with a lot of high aspirations in life. Each one of us can
relate to Arjun. The emotional trauma he undergoes after split-up with his lady
love, the indecisiveness, conflict of interests, he encounters during the tour,
and the realizations he arrives at by the end of it, all of them stand out as
soothsayers to our future, provided we fail to balance our work and personal
life.
The
movie has many lessons for life.
1.
Is money everything in life? Yes but No. This
has been very well depicted in the movie.
2.
Do what your heart says, only then you can make
your life blissful. This is depicted through the character of Katrina.
Another
thing worth a mention in the movie is the Shayaris. Though I could sense Javed
Akhtar behind every single word in the poems, I got deceived by the title
“Dialogues: Farhan Akhtar”, and ended up thinking very high about Farhan’s
writing skills. I even felt that he had rightly inherited the beauty of writing
from his legendary father. However, the ending titles went “Imran’s Poems by
Javed Akhtar” which was a revelation.
Finally,
before I end this, I wish to share a small mail. One gentleman (I honestly do
not remember who) once forwarded me this mail. It had a beautiful story ending
in a nice quotation and a moral. Though i do not remember the story now, the
moral says, “One fine day, if you leave this world, the organization that you
are working in, can replace you in a day. If it is too specific a case, it
might take at most a month. But your family can never replace you. Probably
your thickest of friends can never replace you. So, please dedicate enough time
for those who care for you. That is what ultimately pays you off in life. That
is what can keep you happy.”
There
might be multiple ways of putting forth this, but I felt this was something
worth sharing. The movie depicts it in every frame of it. The bond of
friendship is adored, and it made me feel nostalgic about the days when I had
frequent trips with my friends.
There
is always a conflict that one faces in his/her life. To live life like the way
we wish to, it is not easy. Our wants are unlimited and we definitely need
money to fulfil them. So, striking a right balance between money and happiness
is the key. The essence of life lies in understanding their dynamics and in the
end, lead a happy and a satisfied life.
Happiness is not a
destination, it’s the journey. Let’s all be happy.
Though I did not appreciate the movie I can relate completely to what you have written... One's life is too short to not go ahead do things that we have always yearned for. Im reading a book called "Tuesdays with Morrie" which also talks about the same things in a completely different treatment though.
ReplyDeleteNice.. and you probably could not connect due to the HINDI issue.. :P
ReplyDeleteSo, i'll collect that book from you once u r done... :)
Insightful, Uday. Guess you have got the gist of the movie, "Life is to be lived, not just survive". A good structure to how you have put your thoughts. For your last quote, i would say "Success is a journey, not a destination. Happiness is a state of mind you can feel anytime you want" :)
ReplyDeleteRegards,
P