Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara - Review

If there is some "X" factor that can quantify the depth to which ZNMD engaged me, I could use those distinct values to plot a graph against the movie's run time, to get a partial sinusoid, which according to me, looks synonymous to the nature of the three great adventures that the lead trio chose to undergo. The trio, just like the charm that the movie had on me, start from a point that is deep down the unfathomable oceans, rise up and above all possible heights to reach the skies only to land abruptly on the plains, never to rise up again.

Please, don't get me wrong. ZNMD never gets anywhere close to being bad. Still, there was a slight tinge of disappointment just as the reels approach the penultimate sections, which is sad- because the movie could have been so many times better, if only, the otherwise consistent writing had not been as ordinary as it *was* during the run time of the final reel. Yet, Thanks to the believable characterization, funny-yet-crunchy dialogues, a very good camera and an amazing, amazing Farhan! , I found ZNMD to be a fairly engaging watch, thought it does not quite rise up to the "Dil Chatta Hai” heights.

Though being a simple film at heart, with a pattern that is anything but unique, I loved the way Zoya placed her characters in set pieces involving an alternate reality paradox. Farhan is a Go-lucky guy with an attitude of a high flying youngster, who derives fun in mocking others, even in the grimiest situations. He is troubled however, by an unfathomable hatred that translates itself as a fear, over which, he has neither the desire, nor the ability to express. That inexplicable fear makes him steer away from a path which could have effectively filled the void in his otherwise spotless life, even when the choice was placed in his palms. Was the fear for the heights personified to the fear that forms an impenetrable barrier that separates him from turbulence and peace? Or was the fact, that he was *Really* able to regret for the mistakes he did in the past, after having landed upon the plains after a brief stint at the sky- a hint at the nebulous self-realization that he has just achieved?

While Abhay Deol’s problem finds a very ordinary solution, the best shot from the movie comes in the form of a close up at Hrithik’s teary eyes, just after he rose from the scary depths of the beautiful blue sea. As tears roll down his cheek, the camera pans up close enough to introduce a slight blur in the footage, as if to give us a taste of the emotion that he felt at that exact moment. Was the blur, a literal take on his thought process at that moment? Was it the beginning of the annihilation to all his prejudices and preset notions that he had about life till then?

The movie is not without flaws however, with the fixed pattern that the movie follows while our heroes cruise through their path to inner wisdom, being the biggest contributor to the flipside. I mean, the problem – solution pattern that is experienced by every one of the three protagonists over time, was a tad too conventional for my liking, as I found them to be contradictory to very theme of the movie. Why can’t the makers take the advice “Let it Go!” to themselves, before preaching it to others? Why can’t all the three characters learn at least “something” from every adventure? Why should there be a distinct adventure, exclusively for each lead in the movie?!

Btw, I absolutely loved everything that Farhan did in this movie. Those funny dialogues, those nit-witty counters, the veil of complexity behind that innocent and an otherwise funny face of his, *everything* was near perfect. His character was etched and enacted in such a surprisingly good fashion, that he muscles out, an otherwise consistent Hrithik completely, to an extremely forgettable eye-candy role. For an actor, who is barely three to four films old, this is a humongous task and for that reason, i believe Farhan deserves all the attention that he has been getting from people recently. Bravo!

The lead ladies, unfortunately, were a big disappointment, with Kalki’s boring characterization adding more salt to the wounds. Katrina is hot, voluptuous and effervescent as usual, but her acting is below par. Still, she does what she usually does the best – i.e, flaunt a hint of cleavage in almost every attire that she finds herself in. Um.. No! I am not complaining.