42 reviewers have given Dear Zindagi
an average rating of 3.0/5.0 (?)
18 yays
9 nays
15 so-so
Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.
wogma rating: Even the keen, wait for DVD (?)
quick review:
Such a shame that a warm, cushy ambiance with interesting characters don't blend together to make an engaging film.
So-So
by Anna MM Vertticad,
annavetticadgoes2themovies
...Above all, it is nice to see a film making an effort to destigmatise patient-therapist interactions, in a portrayal far removed from the “paagalkhanas (lunatic asylums)” of an earlier Bollywood era.
...
full review
So-So
by Baradwaj Rangan,
Blogical Conclusion, The New Sunday Express
...Do films on issues senstitise us to them? Or do we just watch films as entertainment, make clucking noises for a couple of hours, and return to our homes, to our default settings? If you believe the former, Dear Zindagi is a quiet little revolution....
full review
Thumbs down
by Bobby Sing,
Bobby Talks Cinema.com
...Anyway the film still deserves ‘a minus one’ for the unrequired, awful versions of the cult Illayaraja song “Aye Zindagi Gale Laga Le”, when the makers could have easily used the original avoiding the pathetic damage.
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full review
Thumbs up
by Subhash K Jha,
Bolly Spice
...Standing ovation and slow-clap for director Gauri Shinde and Alia Bhatt. They are the bravest most beautiful duo of women in our cinema today. Can’t wait to see what they do next.
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full review
So-So
Bollywood Hungama
...Even though DEAR ZINDAGI does not have any superlative music (Amit Trivedi), the songs are not thrusted and do not act as a roadblock in the scenes. The film’s background score (Amit Trivedi) contributes decently to the film’s progress. The flip side of DEAR ZINDAGI is that the movie is devoid of chartbuster music, romance and action. And this absence will be felt in small town and cities where the audience will find the movie bereft of any entertainment.
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full review
Thumbs up
by Sreeju Sudhakaran,
Bollywood Life
...Dear Zindagi will definitely appeal to you if you love slice of life film. A little bit of trimming here and there would have been good, and it is not a typical Bollywood movie. However that shouldn’t stop you from not witnessing one of Alia’s best performances and SRK being his charming best.
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Thumbs up
by Aditi Santhmayer,
BookmyShow
...If you are bored of those generic Bollywood films with item numbers and over-the-top action sequences and are looking for an honest and heartfelt film that will give you something to take back home, Dear Zindagi is a delightful watch you cannot miss. Plus, it has SRK in a never-seen-before avatar.
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full review
Thumbs down
by Deepa Gahlot,
cinemaah
...Gauri Shinde seems to shy away from the ugliness and searing agony of real mental illness, perhaps because audiences would not have been able to bear it. So she opts for the light and trite, which is such a pity....
full review
So-So
by SUPARNA SHARMA,
Deccan Chronicle
...Worse is its Bollywood-eqse devotion to its stars which means that it pays little attention to other characters, turning it into a flat film — like a long pop-up book where only two characters keeps popping-up page after page....
full review
Thumbs down
by Rahul Deo Bharadwaj,
Desi Martini
...Dear Zindagi despite its moments of brilliance is a disappointment. It tries to be a feel good movie but comes a cropper.
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full review
So-So
by Shefali Saxena,
Desi Martini
...Dear Zindagi is a one-time watch, but not for the massy audience. You’ve got to love philosophy to understand this movie. It’s a little deep. I wish Gauri took her own dialogue seriously, “Genius is about knowing when to stop.”
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full review
Thumbs up
by Maulin Parmar,
Desi Martini
...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. ...
full review
So-So
by Smita Vyas Kumar ,
Desi Martini
... This movie is likely to appeal to a young audience that has to deal with relationship and career issues. It does touch a nerve once in a while but too much love can kill you and too much talk will numb you. Watch if you are an Alia Bhatt and/or SRK fan or if this kind of “talk” movie is your cuppa. The rest can use the therapist’s couch to snooze.
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full review
So-So
by Ameet Bhuvan,
Desi Martini
...Despite this, Dear Zindagi is immensely watchable thanks to Alia and SRK. Their unconventional pairing works magically , a mentor and mentee , a therapist and patient , they compliment each other's energies well. SRK is the calm suave controlled foil to the unnerved energy of Alia and it is a delight to watch him let her take centre stage.
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full review
So-So
by Yatharth Chauhan,
Desi Martini
...Dear Zindagi has almost everything going for itself but it’s never a good feeling to even remotely attach the term ‘boring’ to an otherwise healthy spirit of a movie.
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full review
So-So
by Tushar P. Joshi,
DNA
...Dear Zindagi feels like a long, unending conversation that leaves you feeling exhausted. We wish Dr. Jehangir's character had more appeal than the texture of his facial scruff.
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Thumbs up
by Rachit Gupta,
Filmfare
...this film has some fantastic moments. Some soul searching philosophy and some heart crushing realities on offer. Dear Zindagi is a feel good film. An experience that will make you feel alive....
full review
Thumbs down
by Johnson Thomas,
Free Press Journal
...Gauri Shinde’s second directorial effort has the stars- Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt, but loses out on credibility and sustenance....
full review
So-So
by Josh,
fullhyd.com
...As we pondered the disconnect we felt for Dear Zindagi, for a while we considered the possibility that it is a gender thing. Perhaps a Kritika Deval or a Zehra Abbas may have drawn more out of this film than a Josh. Perhaps, they might have been better able at communicating Kaira's pathos to us. But that circumvents the fact that firstly Shinde failed at that communication. She is still the sensitive director who can compose wonderful frames, command her music director and editor's talents, and extract lovely performances from her cast. She can still touch your heart. Only, for reasons we couldn't fathom, she does it at an arm's length.
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full review
Thumbs up
by Vishal Verma,
Glamsham.com
...All said and done, DEAR ZINDAGI is an impeccably performed touching if not everlasting adage on life and relationship with some soul stirring moments hailing the power of Alia Bhatt as a super performer and SRK as the irresistible cool charmer minus the super star's 'arm spread' we all know.
- See more at: http://www.glamsham.com/movies/reviews/dear-zindagi-movie-review.asp#sthash.z4eLDnD4.dpuf...
full review
Thumbs up
by Manjusha Radhakrishnan,
Gulf News
...But that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying this feel-good drama. If you are looking for a heartwarming, sensitive film about troubled twenty-somethings, then make a date with Dear Zindagi. You won’t live to regret it.
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full review
Thumbs down
by Sweta Kaushal,
Hindustan Times
...If only Gauri brought better-etched characters and delved more into the emotional turmoils of her lead, this could have been a wonderful “slice-of-life” film with several messages to be lauded for. What she ends up with is a “could-have-been-amazing” film..
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So-So
by Ananya Bhattacharyal,
india today
...Watch the film for Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan. It's an emotional joyride which won't harm you when watched once...
full review
Thumbs down
by Suhani Singh,
india today
...Dear Zindagi has its heart in the right place but its approach is meandering and sluggish. Relying far too much on the two leads and fragmented introspective moments, Dear Zindagi doesn't have the emotional clarity and punch....
full review
So-So
Indicine
...Overall, Dear Zindagi suffers because of the script and fails in an attempt to narrate ‘The Same Old Story’ in a rather ‘Hatke’ manner. The film has nothing novel to offer apart from a few life lessons by SRK.
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full review
Thumbs up
by ANISH MOHANTY,
Kia Gia
...The central conflict does not seem very convincing and there were several scenes that could have done away with or trimmed for a stronger impact. Despite all these shortcomings, 'Dear Zindagi' boasts of a strong central performance and several heart-warming moments, which makes for a comfortable watch....
full review
So-So
by Surabhi Redkar,
koimoi
...Clocked at 149 minutes, Dear Zindagi stretches unnecessarily and should have been wrapped up in two hours considering its content. A lot of portions in the first half could have been chopped off for this....
full review
Thumbs up
by Mayank Shekhar,
MiD DAY
...This film, at its core, is very much an 'indie', as it were — a very talkie/ conversational sort of feature, perhaps preachy, or overladen with 'gyanpatti', but mostly quiet, even indoorsy.
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full review
Thumbs up
by Jaidev Hemmady,
Movie Talkies
...We are not saying that this film is one of the best to have come out this year, but if you are in the mood for something different than the 'run of the mill' fare dished out every week, Dear Zindagi should not disappoint you...
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full review
So-So
by Kunal Guha,
Mumbai Mirror
...This one is a mood film. No surprises, no revelations mid-way, but if you have a mushy-minded mate, this would make for quite a date.
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full review
Thumbs up
by Saibal Chatterjee,
NDTV
...Dear Zindagi pulls at the heartstrings. It is also loaded with genteel humour. But what works above all is that the pop philosophy/psychology that underlines the drama at the film's core isn't the least bit pulpy.
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full review
Thumbs down
by Rajeev Masand,
News18.com
...But these are small gifts in an overlong, disappointing film that misses its mark. I’m going ...
full review
Thumbs up
by Shomini Sen,
News18.com
...Gauri Shinde already had everyone’s attention when she cast Alia Bhatt and SRK together in a film but with such a simple yet poignant story, she gives us a film that stays with you for a long time.
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full review
Thumbs down
by Manisha Lakhe,
Now Running.com
...Despite the presence of Shah Rukh, there is just no emotional connect with Alia and you want to reach out and say, 'Enough!' to her. They try so hard to 'be cool'. It's not the fault of the young actors at all. Even Ali Zafar, who is perfect as the rebound boyfriend comes across as one-dimensional and easy to dismiss. The story just doesn't have enough meat. It's so Aalia-focussed, there is no room to develop the other characters. They're all there to show how 'kewl' Aalia is.
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full review
Thumbs up
by Sukanya Verma,
Rediff
...Alia is remarkably perceptive and there's a catchy rhythm to her interactions with SRK neither ever forgetting she is principal, he is peripheral. The breakthrough she makes, the healing he offers, the bond they form extends across the screen.
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full review
Thumbs up
by Raja Sen,
Rediff
...Dear Zindagi is a lovely picture, made with finesse and heart, and one that not only takes some stigma off the idea of seeking therapy, but -- in the most natural of ways -- goes a long way in making a viewer think of the people who matter most.
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full review
Thumbs down
by Nandini Ramnath,
Scroll.in
...Dear Zindagi doesn’t tinker with this basic quality of the Bollywood romance, it’s all good....
full review
So-So
Sify Movies
...Dear Zindagi could have been a lively, fun film albeit with life lessons, rather than the long-winded slice of life it is. ...
full review
Thumbs up
by Meena Iyer,
Times of India
...Feisty Alia, one of the better actors of the current generation, turns in a nicely nuanced performance. And SRK in his sober-avatar possessing infinite gyaan tempts you to seek out a therapist. If you’re in the mood to do some soul-searching this weekend, this film could do it for you.
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full review
Thumbs up
by Saumil Gandhi,
Upper Stall
...There is not much to be critical about Dear Zindagi. It is a frothy film, but it is not frivolous. It pointedly addresses an important issue about our society that usually goes unspoken. When it does, it is unflinching and honest without being melodramatic. Watch it for the intelligence that shines through – in the writing, the performances, and the direction.
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full review
Thumbs up
by Rummana,
yahoo! India
...Watch ‘Dear Zindagi’, for the beauty of subtlety, for its insight into contemporary relationships and to understand that talking to a therapist can be as simple as trying to get some sleep. There’s no shame in seeking help for emotional issues, just like we do for physical ailments.
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full review
Thumbs up
by Raghav Jaitly,
ZEENEWS.COM
...'Dear Zindagi' is a new age script that will do well with the youth. By moving ahead of romantic relationships, the movie also teaches important life lessons on how to deal with your family and how to bury the baggage of past. The flick is more like a therapy that the modern generation needs today in order to live a stress-free life. It is hard to comment whether it will work wonders in the single screen and rural areas but, if you need some freshness and a break from Bollywood clichés, then straightaway head to a theatre closest to you to grab a slice of 'Dear Zindagi'
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full review
See Also
wogma review
Preview
42 Critic Reviews
3.0/5.0
2 Reader Reviews
4/5.0
111 Tweet Reviews
4.4/5.0
Dear Zindagi - Movie Details
Official Sites:
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IMDB
Banner: Red Chillies Entertainment, Hope Productions, Dharma Productions
Producer: Karan Johar, Gauri Khan, R. Balki
Director: Gauri Shinde
Lead Cast: Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh Khan
Supporting Cast: Ali Zafar, Ira Dubey, Kunal Kapoor, Yashashwini, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Rohit Saraf, Angad Bedi
Cinematography: Laxman Utekar
Editor: Hemanti Sarkar
Music Director: Amit Trivedi
Facebook Page: Link
Running time: 150 minutes
Reviewer: meeta
Language:
Hindi
Country:
India
Genres:
Philosophy,
Relationships,
Romance