Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara :) First Day First Show ;-) Duniya ke sare sukh ek taraf, aur first day first show koi acchi picture dekhne ki khushi ek taraf :) I have been waiting for this film since Zoya announced it for the last two years. I absolutely loved Luck By Chance and consider it one of the finest films in and about Hindi cinema. Crocodile in a chiffon saree! Here is the link to the film that I had written about it. Anyway, I had not been feeling well as soon as I reached home on Thursday. I decided not to go to the office on Friday, but the thought of a three-day weekend is exhilarating. And how can I not watch this movie, then? :)

I will not write a full review and have stopped, but I will write what I liked and remembered. 

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a story of three friends and their journey across Spain. The three friends had made a pact in college that they would go on a road trip, and each of them would choose an adventure on the trip, which the other two had to do. Zoya beautifully captures their journey as they relive their past and confront their inner demons to create a better future for themselves. 

The film is so beautiful that it is hard not to fall in love. The excellent cinematography by Carlos Catalan is simply out of this world, and it made me want to go to Spain immediately. Just as Mani Ratnam's Raavan was a photographer's delight, this film also captures Spain with a splendor unmatched in recent times. 

I totally loved Farhan's character, Imran, a copywriter by profession and a secret poet, and how he deals with unanswered questions about his abandoned painter father. Imran used to speak such deep lines in poetry as sheer magic. The poems were penned by Javed Akhtar, as the film mentioned. I have been trying to search the lines on the Internet but have not been as successful as now. I seriously wish they bring out a poetry section in the DVD. It will be a collector's treat. I tweeted to Farhan Akhtar and Javed Saab to tell us these lines. Farhan wrote these lines on Twitter (I guess many people would be asking him to do that). 

पिघले नीलम सा बहता ये समां, नीली नीली  सी  खामोशियाँ , न  कहीं  है  ज़मीन  न  कहीं  आसमान , सरसराती  हुई  टहनियां  पट्टियां , कह  रहीं  है  बस  एक  तुम  हो  यहाँ , बस  मैं  हूँ , मेरी  सांसें  हैं  और  मेरी  धडकनें , ऐसी  गहराइयाँ , ऐसी  तन्हैयाँ , और  मैं ... सिर्फ  मैं . अपने  होने  पर  मुझको  यकीन   आ  गया. 

These lines come in perhaps the scene's best film when Arjun (Hrithik) finally does deep-sea diving, and there are tears in his eyes, a cathartic moment where he realizes the beauty of life and the importance of pausing to hear your breath. Such a spellbinding scene that is. 

In one scene in the film, Imran says his poetry is inspired by Raghuati Sahay Firaaq. I have googled about it, but I could find nothing about him. Indeed, Javed Ji used references by Firaaq while penning these lines. Must find more.

The book Cuckold talks about how sex is more of a feeling than an act. The narrator says in the book:  

"Is the mystery of the body in the clothes?  

Is it in the knots that tie the strings that tie the clothes? 

Is sex watching putting on her anklets?

Is sex seeing her shaking her hair loose, gathering it together, and twist it into a bun?

Is it taking a vermilion powder on her right index finger and zeroing it effortlessly to the center of her forehead and spreading a perfect tikka on it?

Is it her hands cupping together to hold water from the bucket, closing her eyes, and splashing water on her face? 

Is it the unconscious and voluntary gestures that she goes through every day?" 

I think I have fallen in love with Imran's poetry. It has to be felt from within, and only it can bring about the catharsis it aims for. 

The true star of the film is undoubtedly Zoya Akhtar. She creates such genuine moments of tenderness between her characters that one is left simply amazed by their brilliance. Perhaps she is one of the very directors who understands human emotions and relationships. Could it be easy for a female director to create a story about three male characters with such nuances and details? 

Her subtlety stands out from the rest, and as some said, it is an adult film for people with adult brains. That scene where the three of them fight when Imran throws Arjun's phone is created so poignantly..that how adults turn into kids in a moment. 

Zoya leaves the audience to read more about her character's traits–like the initial scene where Imran and Arjun are packing their clothes, one could make out that Arjun is more organized (clothes are neatly ironed and kept in an organized way in the suitcase) whereas Imran is more casual (simply takes out clothes from the almirah and dumps them in the bag without any order) 

Or that song, Khwaabon Ke Parinday, that is so beautiful. The scene where the horse comes is sheer magic :) 

This is perhaps the first film I have loved Katrina's acting because her character is so refreshing. When Arjun and Laila (Katrina) are watching the stars, she says, 'Insaan ko Dabbay mein marne ke baad hee jaana chahiye.' Or when she rides this bike to kiss Arjun and says 'Mujhe afsos nahi karna aata' or the scene where she says 'Kisse pata tum 40 tak zinda bhi rahoge ya nahi.' She brings grace to Laila and it suits her perfectly.

Farhan Akhtar is a revelation. He gets the best lines and is a scene-stealer. His character resembles a mix of Siddharth and Aakash from Dil Chahta Hai. The goofiness that he brings out in Imran appears to be his natural quality. Whether it be Aaksh from Dil Chahta Hai, Karthik from Karthik Calling Karthik, or Imran from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, it appears that Farhan is like this in real life. 

I also liked Abhay's character. Although the Sigmund Freud game he suggested to bring out the problem in you was clearly inspired by Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I liked it when he said that he didn't want Natasha to stop working after marriage was Natasha, the interior designer whom he liked. 

Some of the film's other rich moments were—

Sorry tabhi hi bolna chahiye yahan (dil) se nikle..

Sach kya hai..kar kisi ka apna ek version..

All three adventure sports were so spectacularly shot.

The deep-sea diving—The way Laila guides Arjun is sheer poetry in motion..the sunlight, the bubbles, the blue color, and the fish. Amazing.

The sky diving–The way the three of them join their hands in the blue sky, signifying their bond of friendship..and how they overcome their fears 

The bullfight—Stunningly shot with the message not to give up without a fight, giving a perfect climax.

After a long, a film has given me so much creative satisfaction. After Dhobi Ghaat, this is perhaps the only film with a layered story and characters. I might have gone overboard, but I simply loved the movie. Do watch it, and since I know Spanish a bit, it was so much fun to understand without the need for subtitles :) 

Dil Chahata Hai or Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. I think both :)

I will end by these amazing lines from the film -
दिलों  में  तुम  अपनी  बेताबियाँ  लेके  चल  रहे  हो, तोह  जिंदा  हो  तुम .. नज़र  में  ख़्वाबों  की  बिजलियाँ  लेके  चल  रहे  हो , तोह  जिंदा  हो  तुम ... दिलों  में  तुम  अपनी  बेताबियाँ  लेके  चल  रहे  हो , तोह  जिंदा  हो  तुम . नज़र  में  ख़्वाबों  की  बिजलियाँ  लेके  चल  रहे  हो, तोह  जिंदा  हो  तुम .