Alia's Zindagi

I watched it a while back but haven't had the chance to write this review. I know I suck but life has been hectic. But anyway, better late than never!

Just a note that I hardly have watched the promos of the film and neither did I like the music album except for Ae Zindagi sung by Arijit. Man, Arijit is all I need when it comes to music. And combine a classic favorite with him, life is gooooood.

So we didn't find tickets where we first planned to watch but thankfully I knew where to go as backup plan. So we went to another theater and caught the last show. It didn't start off well...with an awkward dwarf throwing folks around on a mat and hyperactive lips disturbing the peace of Parisians setting the stage for the start of the movie, nope. It was reaaaaaaally not good. 

The beginning of the movie, I was like...I wanna go home. You see, I no longer have much patience. And it felt like everything was just messed up and terribly vulgar. But this turned out to be the base of Dear Zindagi. At the end of the movie, the beginning seems more understandable and a little similar to our very own lives. 

I will be honest, I have been a mess myself for the last one and a half year. I have crossed roads with a few therapists myself but no one will ever be like Jehangir. I know how therapists also feel about their difficult job and the affect it has on their own lives. So I was glad that it wasn't just the patient's story, we got to see what Jehangir felt. I loved how there is an amazing transition of Kaira from being a coward to someone who faces the truth and draws strength from the truth. THAT is the ultimate triumph of the protagonist.

I loved Ali Zafar in the movie even though he was really annoying but so damn charming. I was floored and smiling ear to ear. After watching this, I fell in love with Let's Break Up...especially the video, Feroz's fantastic choreography makes the song such a treat. And Vishal's voice is just apt for a song like this...basically basically basically tu bhi kamini!!

I definitely went to watch this movie for Shah Rukh but I returned home as a real hardcore fan of Alia Bhatt. She is pure bliss. Throughout the film, you will experience moments where you wish you could just hug her. Long dialogues, short dialogues, she kicks ass. Even if you are a fan of SRK, you will feel delighted to see Alia more than Shah Rukh.

And what do I say about Shah Rukh? As if he was never a therapist for me...I am what I am because of his wisdom for the most part. He no longer impresses me, because our connection is beyond impressions and adjectives. Which reminds me...I'm sorry I never did a Fan review, that movie traumatized me.

Shall be going back for a second watch soon. Dear Zindagi kind of gets to you over time, and you just want to watch it again.

Fan

This is his 13th release in which he has a double-role. And this is by far his most challenging one because it is absolutely all about his two roles, there are no side stories involved. And man...wasn't he just gooooood or what!! I know "good" is an understatement but good is just about good. And this "good" is the kind of good you say when you taste some real good food.

All these emotions has been troubling me since I have come back home after watching and it made me so exhausted that I needed a long sleep. Initially I felt I hated the film because of its story and its climax. My sisters were with me and I just walked off leaving them alone because my eyes were ridiculously moist. And I just needed some time alone.

This film is completely fictional but being a fan of a star is such a touchy feely subject along with the kind of ending the film offered...these are sensitive topics. There are numerous factors that shape how and why you become a fan of someone, not just because of a star's looks or his work. As fans, we do the things out of love and in order to carry out such things, we also work (doh). So yeah, I am completely on Team Gaurav. Even right now. But I don't obviously agree with his transformation...that is extreme. Even if my favorite star broke my heart into a billion pieces, I would never dare to raise my hand on him/her let alone think of harming his stardom.

Maybe I should rest my mind and think it through before saying anything...yep this is the kind of affect this film is having on me!!

Consuming Shah Rukh Khan

When you are a fan of Shah Rukh Khan or anyone, it becomes a habit to watch, read, hear, eat, sleep (hopefully not), drink him/her. This is a reason why these public figures have to keep rolling out new stuff to keep their fan bases going strong. Then let's get going about consuming Mr. Khan.

Shah Rukh did a variety of roles in the first phase of his career. He had nothing to lose and no one really to be scared of. Remember, he made a goal of doing about 22 films. You can only wonder when 22 films became 70+ films. Through these seventy releases, he won billions of hearts all over the world. Okay, I know this sounds like I'm teaching the English alphabet but many of us seem to forget the basic story about Shah Rukh's success.

We just keep wanting more and more from him. And he also wants to keep delivering the highest quality cinema possible so it can be worth the price we pay to watch it. He values the time we give to watch his latest in theaters so much that he doesn't even stop even if he gets injured. Health is wealth. But to him, his audience's happiness is his real wealth.

Of course there must be a personal benefit too as to why he allows us to consume him every minute and every second of the day. It's his dream to give back to the industry and its consumers in the most grandest way possible. It's also his ultimate escape from the original Shah Rukh Khan who is in great pain. Every time the actor Shah Rukh faces a failure or hurtful abuses, the original Shah Rukh takes the blows. Then he forces the actor in him to get to work.

He has an eye for details, which us analysts ignore often because hey, Bollywood films are just singing and dancing after all. He wishes to bring the best talent in the film technology field to India rather than outsourcing work to Hong Kong, China, USA, etc. Because India produces the most films in this world. And there is a growing popularity for the usage of visual effects. 

When he does masala movies, he makes it with the intention that a whole family will have something to enjoy in it. There are different palates in every family. One person might like romance, another may like action and another may love comedy. To make everyone smile in 2.5 hours is an amazing talent. And he tries his best to do so.

You know what it looks like when we cry over him not doing a certain film which did great? It looks highly ungrateful. We are being ungrateful to the man who have put in tons of sweat, blood and effort to keep us entertained. He constantly puts up a great fight with his physical pain. Why? So we can devour his work. When fans cried over him not doing 3Is, it was ridiculous. The last time he played a college student was in Main Hoon Naa and that too, it was situational. I can't imagine him in his underwear either. Good for the little one that he did 3Is.

You can't expect Shah Rukh to be in every blockbuster made in Bollywood. No one wished that he do a Border, Gupt, Sarfarosh, Krantiveer, Zakhm, etc. He kept rising because of his very own personal choices. Now he is the biggest star in India, a very important figure. With such power, comes great responsibility. He has to be wise about what he does now, because he has enemies watching him like hawks. One mistake and there will be a heavy price.

It is pretty easy to spend 3 hours of our valuable time to watch a film created by hundreds of people and made in the time span of months who think of nothing else but to present their project in the most perfect way possible. Sad fact is that some films are worth watching many times on the big screen while other films are worth watching once maybe. Should he takes a lot of risks that are political, financial or both and it goes wrong then will you be there to rescue him? Quite sure, you'll be the first to run away from him.

It is quite disrespectful to compare him with younger actors who are actually following his footsteps is another way that you are sucking on his blood literally. Hasn't Shah Rukh almost always experimented? Each film is an experiment on its own. If it wasn't, then it would be called a copy. Plus you know something? He has to be very careful about his choices because he is a superstar. A role that suits Shahid, Ranbir, Varun or any other younger actor, will not suit Shah Rukh. Many actors have come and gone in the last 20 years. The excitement of possibly finding a replacement of Shah Rukh Khan is always high but, I personally think that if he retires then that's the end of Bollywood. They are already remaking, adapting and continuing from scrapbooks of yesteryear.

It makes me sad that I have to repeatedly cross paths with fans who don't seem to appreciate him enough. And then I have to write such posts again and again. I hate repeating myself. If you don't like his latest movies, please shut up and keep patience. We can't predict what he has next up his sleeve. When you become a fan of an actor, you have to have faith in him or her. And seriously, Shah Rukh is the safest actor on whom you can place your faith on. Because he is experienced, experimental, and honestly the best name in Bollywood. It is shameful to see fans nodding with haters and saying that this and that film of Shah Rukh is utter crap.

Keep in mind that he is now 50 years old. His kids are growing up and I'm sure he would like to be able to spend more time with them. You realize he belonged to us before his children and dedicates more time to make us smile instead of his kids?  Yet, you would like to bestow your taste of cinema onto him because you think you own him? Right.

As a fan, you need to support him in his ups and downs. It does not make him feel any better if you criticize his choices. Trust me when he says he reads everything, he really does so. What makes us think that he can tolerate so much cribbing over his work if we can't tolerate someone criticizing us all the time? "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Consume him a bit responsibly because he is a human like us.

Character Names

1. Raja/Raj - 9
2. Sunder
3. Karan
4. Lalit
5. Anil
6. Vicky
7. Ajay - 2
8. Rahul - 8
9. Sunil
10. Vijay - 3
11. Arjun - 3
12. Guddu
13. Hero
14. Ram - 2
15. Romi
16. Gopal - 2
17. Hari
18. Vikram
19. Roop
20. Badru
21. Shankar
22. Bablu
23. Manu
24. Amar
25. Baadshah
26. Amjad
27. Max
28. Aryan - 2
29. Arun
30. Ashok
31. Dev - 2
32. Jai
33. Yeshwant
34. Aman
35. Dushant
36. Veer
37. Mohan
38. Kishan
39. Don - 2
40. Kabir
41. Om
42. Aditya - 2
43. Surinder
44. Sahir
45. Pawan
46. Rizwan
47. Shekhar
48. G.One
49. Samar
50. Chandramohan
51. Charlie
52. Kaali
53. Gaurav
54. Raees
55. Jehangir
56. Tahir
57. Harinder
58. Bauaa

The 15 years in Dilwale

One thing I really loved in Dilwale are the similarities between the siblings. Apart from the themes of sibling-hood, forgiveness, love, drugs, etc. I think one more theme happens to be how life comes a full circle at times. We all have gone through identical situations in the present days which have happened in the past  So these are the instances that I noticed. I'm sorry I have no pictures to offer because the DVD is not out yet.

When Ishita tells Veer that they should tell their families about their relationship. She won't like it if their loved ones heard from other people.

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When Meera tells Kaali that they should tell their families about their relationship. She won't like it if their loved ones heard from other people.

Meera and Kaali tell Randhir Bakshi about their relationship first and he agrees. Then Meera tells her dad.

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Ishita and Veer tell Raj about their relationship first and he agrees. Then Ishita tells Meera.

Ishita confronts Raj in support of Veer's false allegations.

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Meera confronts her own henchmen in false support of Kaali 

Raj's woh baat alag hai to little Veer

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Raj's woh baat alag hai to grown up Veer

Meera shot Kaali on his heart.

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Meera takes a bullet on her heart to save Kaali

Veer's first meeting with Ishita on the road to help her

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Kaali's first meeting with Meera on the road to help her after he hit her

Kaali intervenes when goons are passing lewd comments to Meera

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Kaali intervenes when King's men are able to assault meera

Kaali asks Meera for a 5 minute date in Bulgaria

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Kaali asks Meera for a 5 minute date at the wedding dance

Dev Malik creates misunderstanding to end Meera's relationship with Kaali

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Meera gives a condition to Veer for his marriage with Ishita and tries to create a rift between Veer and Raj.