Dear Zindagi (2016)
So, I finished watching Gauri Shinde's Dear Zindagi for the second time today, and I came to the conclusion that I should probably go back to it at least once a year. It is such a simple (we shall come back to this later) yet moving story, highly relatable in parts, and of course the title song ('Love You Zindagi') tying the whole thing together beautifully.
I can just appreciate this movie endlessly for attempting to normalise seeking professional help for mental health issues. Considering the kind of shit that pours out of Bollywood on this topic, and how it intensifies the already-existing stigma in society, Dear Zindagi is an actual trailblazer. I'm not saying that the movie is perfect- that is a futile aspiration anyway. I do wish it would have been edited more; the film drifts away a little bit in the two and a half hours, and I think that it would have been a better experience had it just been two hours. However, for the people who called it "too simplistic" and "sugar-coated": what trip are you on? You can't fit in the long and sometimes painful journey of "bonding" (for lack of a better word) with your therapist into just 2.5 hours!! It took weeks for me, and I totally understand why within the narrative of the movie, the connection had to be immediate. And it so totally did not feel unnatural, at least to me.
I think a lot of it comes from the inherent prejudice against a woman director telling a young woman's story. If it was a male director telling the same story, with a male protagonist, the same movie would have been unanimously praised. The fact that Ranbir Kapoor's man-child act still exists is living proof of that. Actually no. None of Ranbir's characters ever seek professional help, they just dump it all on the women around them. Very accurate representation of reality, I must say.
Also, how can someone hate therapist SRK spouting words of wisdom that are genuinely applicable to most people's lived experiences? Literally, it is all I ever need. At least once a year.
The soundtrack sLAPS- Ali Zafar's 'Tu Hi Hai' has been included in a playlist I made for my partner, and that is all I have to say on that. Speaking of the man, I judged myself so hard for still finding him charming, after all that I know about him now. But as R said, these things take time, and I will just take solace in the fact that at least I had the decency of cringing at myself. Oh, and I loved the movie's treatment of the dynamics between SRK and Alia- SPOILER ALERT, SKIP TO NEXT PARAGRAPH IMMEDIATELY- it is very common actually to develop feelings for your therapist, and the movie's mature handling of that was a breath of fresh air. If it was a typical Bollywood movie, SRK would have appeared at the screening of Alia's short movie, and something nasty, unethical, and unnecessary would have happened. But, thanks to Gauri Shinde, we were all spared. Bless her. SPOILER OVER.
I think it's time I rewatch English Vinglish too, to bask in the glow of Shinde's extraordinary filmmaking skills. When is she coming back with a new movie, it's been 4 years already?? WE NEED YOU GAURI, SAVE US FROM MORE HOUSEFULLS AND SOTYS. PLEASE.
I can just appreciate this movie endlessly for attempting to normalise seeking professional help for mental health issues. Considering the kind of shit that pours out of Bollywood on this topic, and how it intensifies the already-existing stigma in society, Dear Zindagi is an actual trailblazer. I'm not saying that the movie is perfect- that is a futile aspiration anyway. I do wish it would have been edited more; the film drifts away a little bit in the two and a half hours, and I think that it would have been a better experience had it just been two hours. However, for the people who called it "too simplistic" and "sugar-coated": what trip are you on? You can't fit in the long and sometimes painful journey of "bonding" (for lack of a better word) with your therapist into just 2.5 hours!! It took weeks for me, and I totally understand why within the narrative of the movie, the connection had to be immediate. And it so totally did not feel unnatural, at least to me.
I think a lot of it comes from the inherent prejudice against a woman director telling a young woman's story. If it was a male director telling the same story, with a male protagonist, the same movie would have been unanimously praised. The fact that Ranbir Kapoor's man-child act still exists is living proof of that. Actually no. None of Ranbir's characters ever seek professional help, they just dump it all on the women around them. Very accurate representation of reality, I must say.
Also, how can someone hate therapist SRK spouting words of wisdom that are genuinely applicable to most people's lived experiences? Literally, it is all I ever need. At least once a year.
The soundtrack sLAPS- Ali Zafar's 'Tu Hi Hai' has been included in a playlist I made for my partner, and that is all I have to say on that. Speaking of the man, I judged myself so hard for still finding him charming, after all that I know about him now. But as R said, these things take time, and I will just take solace in the fact that at least I had the decency of cringing at myself. Oh, and I loved the movie's treatment of the dynamics between SRK and Alia- SPOILER ALERT, SKIP TO NEXT PARAGRAPH IMMEDIATELY- it is very common actually to develop feelings for your therapist, and the movie's mature handling of that was a breath of fresh air. If it was a typical Bollywood movie, SRK would have appeared at the screening of Alia's short movie, and something nasty, unethical, and unnecessary would have happened. But, thanks to Gauri Shinde, we were all spared. Bless her. SPOILER OVER.
I think it's time I rewatch English Vinglish too, to bask in the glow of Shinde's extraordinary filmmaking skills. When is she coming back with a new movie, it's been 4 years already?? WE NEED YOU GAURI, SAVE US FROM MORE HOUSEFULLS AND SOTYS. PLEASE.
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