Review: Movie - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

This was one of those rare movies for which I did not read any reviews, didn’t care what the response was on Facebook/Twitter, I just went ahead and bought the tickets and am glad that I did that J. I loved Zoya Akhtar’s first one ‘Luck By Chance’ which I thought was an intelligent film. So I went for ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ not only for Zoya but also for the super combo of Hrithik, Abhay and Farhan. This is yet another movie this year that breaks the traditional ‘Bollywood Hero’ mould. Each of the above actors is a character that makes up the story, so no boring hero-heroine drama. A lot of people speculated that the movie would be just another repackaged  ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ or a desi version of ‘Hangover’. Thankfully it’s none of that.

Plot:

It’s a story of three friends of whom Kabir (Abhay) is getting married to Natasha (Kalki ) and invites his friends Imraan (Farhan Ahktar) and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan) for a bachelor party - a three-week road trip in Spain. As part of their pact each of them chooses a secret adventure sport that others have to do with him. During the course of their journey, they meet Laila (Katrina Kaif) who introduces them to a new way of life and how with each passing adventure each of them resolves a difficult personal issue and becomes a mature person - makes up for the rest of the film.

Screenplay/Dialogs:

After reading the above description you might think that it’s one of those preachy ‘coming of age’ films.  The film has a message but it is not forcing it on you. You decipher the message with the characters. The dialogs are smartly written and fit the situations and the film has been beautifully shot. You almost feel like getting up and going to Spain for your own adventure. What also shines out is Imraan’s poetry which goes on to show how well can Javed Akhtar write, when he wants to.

Cast/Performances:

Farhan Akhtar clearly outshines the other two, not just because he is the funniest but because he has certain ease, comfort in his screen presence. Take for instance the ‘Senorita’ song (which has been sung surprisingly well by the three leads themselves), the way all three dance shows why they are different – Hrithik is technical with work-man like dedication, Abhay is awkward but a sport and Farhan is just spontaneous, relaxed and enjoying as if dancing at a party with no cameras on. In the rest of the movie Abhay is as usual sincere (you get to see his funny bone) and Hrithik at times looks to be trying too hard (maybe the pressure of stardom to standout) but once he relaxes and let’s his character take over, he’s a treat to watch. Katrina gets a good role which may be her best till date. Kalki is good with whatever she could lay her hands on.

Music/Songs:

Songs fit the situations well and are hummable but may not have long term shelf value. ‘Senorita ‘is the best song of the album I believe.

Verdict: Go out and watch it. Such movies are rare in Hindi cinema – Make hay while the sun shines (4/5) :)

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Added Later: Read somewhere that ZNMD was a rip off of 1985 Kevin Reynold's film 'Fandango'. Did some research and I don't tend to agree to that. ZNMD is a good film in it's own right. But in the process, came across this Sky diving sequence from 'Fandango' and trust me it is hilarious!!! Below is the first of the three parts. Now looking for the full movie -