Do you know how movie can go wrong?
(From my Perspective) Either when story writers over-write or under-write the story or when characters overdo or underdo the act; But the movie ‘DEAR ZINDAGI’ is no way around this. It’s a perfect mixture of good write up and amazing character portrayal by Kaira (Alia Bhatt), Dr. Khan (SRK) and all other characters complimenting them.
I haven’t watched Hindi movie quite for a while and always have been complaining about the ‘impact’ of movie leaving on heart and mind, especially Hindi Block-Busters. And even while wanting to watch this movie when many of my friends in social media were expressing good things on the movie, my main concerns were – Has ‘Dear Zindagi’ seriously shown the essence of ‘Need of Mental Health’ without over-doing it? Has the movie really depicted what has to be depicted in the relationship between ‘client-therapist’?
And the answer after watching is: Yes. It has.
Be it Dr. Khan knowing where to stop regarding the therapy session or him wanting Kaira to sort out her problems herself; Be it Kaira denying her condition at first or finding solution to her un-answered dream by herself. The sessions were perfect as per the psychological knowledge I have.
And in one of the point, when the maid was told ‘Therapist should be consulted when we have complication in life when we cannot solve by ourselves’. She says: ‘Then all of us should go in therapy, no?’. This was my major highlight in the movie. How beautifully the movie has tried to de-stigmatise the ‘MENTAL CONDITION’ and remove the taboo associated to it. How simply it said- we all have complications at times, just that if we cannot handle it by our self in fair amount of time, going to therapy/counsellors works, as simple as that!
And here, the IMPACT the movie left on the people who enjoyed the plot seem to be amazing.
The portrayal of character by Kaira is perfect. The urban girl who wants to get everything she deserves, who wants to be judged by her talent, who is pissed off by her family for some reasons (which was hidden till the end). An ambitious and fun loving girl who mostly surrounded by friends was no way thought of having Mental Condition. This is what is happening in our fast-moving world. We ignore the signs most of the time and do not give emphasis what our mind is trying to tell us.
The portrayal of Character of Dr. Khan is another highlight. How wonderfully he studied the posture, rules, and sessions of ‘therapy’ which is seen in movie in his character. If you are not the fan of SKR stretching his arms around the girl like me, you will be impressed with the amount of patience and charm and for sure genuineness he brought in the character in this movie. Sometimes the persona of Shah Rukh Khan overdoes the portrayal of the therapist but you can discount that if you take his role in a wholesome.
Likewise, Different Character of Families, friends fit the plot. Dear Zindagi is obviously not a commercial movie and also as first half seems to be ‘little’ lengthy, so it might be a not so good watch for some people; but for somebody like me it’s a beautiful watch. Also also if you love self help books and self-help therapy sessions, this might be an interesting watch for sure. I give 4 and Half Star for the movie as a reviewer.
And being a Psychology student who is working on this field for quite some time and who can understand the impact movie might be leaving if it has not shown the ‘Mental Health in Such a Simple Way’, I give the plot and story writer 5 on 5.
Thanks for bringing the issue in highlight and making people feel that ‘Mental Health’ is exactly like your physical one. If you are going to doctor for your headache then why not visit counsellor or therapist for your sleeplessness.
Here are few of the lines which are marked in my memory after the watch today. Hope these will complete my first movie review.
- ‘Why complicate your life for no reason when you can perfectly live the life you want in simpler ways’.
- Geniuses are those who have ‘Patience’ to wait till you get the answer of your questions.
And Geniuses are not those who started, they are the ones who knows when to stop!
- Why cannot you untie the knot from your past for the better future.
- We are the teachers of the school of our life.
- Do not let your past blackmail the present to ruin your beautiful future.
- Therapist/Counsellors are like jigsaw puzzle who helps in finding the fitting puzzles, we are the one who should complete it with the help of those puzzles and with own determination.
And since as the last point says- which is one of my favorite as well, next time when you feel incomplete, when you feel down, when you feel suffocated and when you feel mentally unstable for sometime, why not find ‘JIGSAW PUZZLE’ and take help to complete the puzzled life. As Simple as that.
Now, tell me, do you still think going to ‘Therapy or Counsellings’ or having ‘Psychologist/Mental Health Workers’ working with you as a taboo or something that has to be hidden?
