Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) Movie Review (Version 2)

Starring Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif, Ariadna Cabrol, Abhay Deol, Lolo Herrero
Directed by Zoya Akhtar (‘Luck by Chance’)
Runtime: 2hr 35mins
Watched at SriSairaja 70mm,Hyderabad

Dilon mein tum apni bettabiyaan leke chal rahe ho toh zinda ho tum…

naazar mein khwaaboon ki bijiliyaan leke chal rahe ho toh zinda ho tum

Hawaa ke jhonkon ke jaise azad rehna seeko

Tum ek dariya ke jaise lehron mein behna seekho

Har ek lamhe se tum milo khole apni baahein

Har ek pal ik naya samaan dekhein yeh nigaahein..

Story Line:

The story is about three childhood buddies Abhay (kabeera), Farhan (Imraan), and Hrithik (Arjun) and their pact to go on a road trip which is also their bachelor’s party after kabeera gets engaged to Natasha (kalki). The road trip idea revolves with each one choosing their favorite thrilling and kickass sport and the other two accompany him no matter how dangerous and scary it is. Arjun being a workaholic and earning-money-is-my-passion type joins them after kabeera persuades him. The road trip starts with Arjun’s meeting Laila (Katrina), Imraan meeting his ladylove (a firangi), sorting out differences in their friendship, overcoming their fears and emotions by living life like there’s no tomorrow. The movie ends with a bullfight scene and a second pact where they take a decision what to do after getting out alive.

Analysis:

After looking at the posters resembling the cult movie Lords of dogtown and the promos like a desi Hangover I was under the impression that this is yet another trippy movie resembling Dil chahta hai. Sure, you will find a striking resemblance of dil chahta hai with the likes of exploring goa on road when compared to ZNMD exploring Spain, but with a difference. The choice of thrilling sports making you glued to the seats, the stunning picturesque locations, spellbinding and colorful visuals accompanied by some crooning songs makes this a good entertainer and a perfect choice for the weekend. Although the movie does have some con’s and flaws, they can be ruled out considering the fact that it is a wholesome entertainer.

Technical aspects:

Zoya Akhtar has come a long way since her debut with honeymoon travels and her work in luck by chance was by applauded by many for being pictured perfect and ZNMD is no exception for her leading an amazing technical team with brilliance. Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy’s music is breezy enough and sets the mood to crooning and Senorita is worth mentioning in this case. Cinematography by Carlos Catalan is stunning and a visual treat for capturing some stunning visuals of Spain and the sequences involving the LA TOMATINO festival ,skydiving and traditional Spanish bullfight are impressive and ubercool . The camera angles in the skydiving scene drove me into thinking how it was so closely and beautifully captured.

Performances:

Farhan Akhtar steals the show with his slapstick expressions and witty punch lineswhich surely make you laugh your ass off at times. The next in pipeline comes Abhay Deol with a very matured performance on par with DEV D. Kalki doesn’t get a meaty role other than being a possessive and a jealous girlfriend and does that with ease. Hrithik and Katrina kaif were at their best and their chemistry will be a cult but although I felt their involvement in the movie was a mere crowd pulling tactic done by zoya akthar.

Verdict:

This movie surely deserves a rating of 3.5/5 and a thumbs up especially for the scenes of bullfight, scuba and sky diving. I recommend this movie to be watched along with a group of friends and a can of popcorn and cherish the feeling like “zindagi na milegi dobara”. I finally conclude by declaring ZNMD as “Sleeper hit of this year”.