ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA - Movie Review : Its not a film but a OSHO-nik kind of life teaching experience which needs to be watched by all as a must to learn the essential basics of LIVING. (Review by Bobby Sing) (Movies to See Before You Die - Adventure)

Its Guru Purnima today on 15^th July 2011, and I celebrated it with joy, remembering my beloved master OSHO, watching his teachings being projected in front of me on the screen, in the shape of “ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA”. I don’t know whether the makers would like to accept this or not but right from its humor to its hugely important lessons on “How to live your One Life”, its every single thing seems to be inspired from the way of life OSHO used to teach and live with his disciples.

Now as I am always partial for the films, which have the power to add something valuable and constructive in your routine lives through their expressive content, therefore I have all good things to say about ZNMD with only three negative points which I would like to mention first (apart from its inspired poster). One is its weak soundtrack - lacking the much required melody, which could have taken the important theme of the film to more greater heights. The songs look fine while watching the film, but you cannot take them home along with you. Secondly the film is all about the RICH PEOPLE who can roam around the world as easily as blinking the eye without worrying about any finance or VISA problems. And lastly the overall feel, look and language of the film is entirely Urban and hence it may not be able to impress the people living in Rural regions who would not be able to relate with its city humor and foreign connections. So, the film largely remains a metro venture as far as its business prospects are concerned. Also, though its basic outline seems to be written around Farhan’s earlier DIL CHAHTA HAI, but as the movie progresses it goes on to a different journey altogether which has all the essential life ingredients ranging from friendship, love, sex, hate, fun to the spiritual hidden urges of a human being.

But coming to the real value of the film, it is arguably one of the most intelligent and finest movies made in the recent times in Bollywood. Yet it is to be understood that the appreciation here is meant more for its superlative life teaching content and less for its cinematic or entertainment value. Zoya Akhtar delivers a more polished and refine film as her second venture which should be essentially considered as an important spiritual lesson and not just a New Movie meant for entertainment. One reason for this remains that the film doesn’t have a Great Storyline. It hasn’t got anything new as far as the plot is concerned. But it does have many GOLDEN NUGGETS evenly distributed throughout the film which need to be collected by the viewers and taken home.

Contrary to all expectations, the most appreciable step taken by the director in the film is that she doesn’t treat any single person as a big star particularly Hrithik Roshan. The film starts off simply without any flashy introduction of its cast.The three lead heroes are all given equal mileage and importance with each one of them leaving his own mark on the viewer individually. And that’s indeed a great vision followed by the writer and director. The film basically moves around a road trip and three daring adventures the boys wish to experience in their lifetime. But the condition is that they all have to do it together as a must without any escape or excuse. So if you watch it as a Bollywood movie having an interesting starcast and nice look which might have some great emotional or interesting story to tell, then you are sure going to be disappointed. Hence, my suggestion would be to watch it as an adventure movie with people having fun on the screen and realizing their inner potentials on a road trip teaching you a new way of living life ‘As It Is’.

Along with its splendid cinematography capturing some breathtaking underwater scenes, landscapes and unseen sequences, the film might turn out to be a cherishable experience for many, fulfilling their own hidden wishes which they may have forgotten by now. Yes, it’s a bit lengthy in its second half and some may find its ending also a little abrupt. But if you can really search for all those hidden spiritual messages in its various sequences, then in all possibilities you would like to see it again for anything which you may have missed sipping your drink or talking to your friends in the theater.

Another worth mentioning aspect of ZMND is that it not only delivers with its splendidly written dialogues by Farhan Akhtar himself, but the film also communicates with its viewers through its SPEAKING SILENCES in the scenes. For instance just try to feel Hrithik’s natural expressions when he comes out of the water and cries after having an unexpected life time experience. Or just go blank with the zed black screen when the three boys touch the ground after their incredible Sky Diving adventure. And not to be forgotten the never-seen-before adventures on the celluloid, such as The Tomato crushing festival and the Bull encounter run towards the end.

Performance wise, the film can be included among the better performances of everyone in the team including, Hrithik, Farhan, Abhay, Katrina, Kalki, Naseeruddin Shah, Deepti Naval and Zoya herself (as a writer-director). And the one person who is sure going to get a huge increase in his fan base has to be Farhan Akhtar, who shows a remarkable sense of comic timing and screen presence in his own home production. But if you ask who is the best among them all then I would like to name Katrina and Hrithik who really have done something against their own image and persona. Especially Hrithik, who plays a simple, well established business man in the film and his character has nothing to do with his Over the Top, Bollywood’s Superficial Hero type of image (against all expectations). And Katrina plays it real cool and subtle showing a great amount of transformation in her lovable performance. Abhay as usual impresses with his out of the box act and proves once again that he is surely blessed with a unique sense of cinema.

Now the question arises, that if the film is so much of fun with all those exciting & daring adventures performed by the three musketeers, then Why I am calling it a SPIRITUAL EXPEREINCE close to the vision of the great master OSHO. The answer to this important point lies in the following questions which I myself used to ask to the people around me, which incidentally have been included in the film’s script too, converting it into a Spiritual venture. The following are the questions of our real life which ZOYA AKHTAR asks through her characters on the screen and as you go through them just stand still for a while and think that aren’t these questions pointing towards all of us?

As suggested by its apt title “ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA”, the film strongly raises the questions that:

1. Why we all change in only few years after we pass our college and jump into the money earning phase of life?

2. Why all the friends are not the same after say 10-15 years of life and become just the opposite of what they used to be in those Golden College days full of passion and energy?

3. Why we keep on hiding our inner desires and dreams, once we get into the married life? Why we don’t even think of fulfilling all those dreams taking out some time just for our own?

4. Why all our inner passions die so quickly after we turn into the money earning machines? Or in other words Why we ourselves kill our inner passions for the sake of our kids and family?

5. Why after marriage people suddenly change and start finding solace and peace in their partner’s life instead of their own (Especially Love Couples)? Why we suddenly become so possessive after marriage?

6. Why we stop believing in taking risks, once the college days are gone. Why it all seems to be very silly and funny just after few years of life, post the College?

7. Why we keep on postponing things for the age of retirement? And who has given us the guarantee that we would still be alive at the age of retirement?

8. Why we just keep sinking into a meaningless relationship just for the sake of our family’s reputation and keep on living life like a hell?

9. Why all our family relationships become so heavy and unbearable after 40 -50 years of life? Why the fun element just vanishes away from our lives once we pass the age of 30-35 years? …..and

10. Why can’t we all live our lives in the present, right here, in this moment and stop thinking about our future which cannot ever be predicted?

These are all the questions which the film asks from its viewers. It is quite possible that a certain section of viewers and critics may not like the film for their various reasons. But truly speaking I loved the film may be because I myself have experienced few of these adventures in my real life and believe me they are not just adventures but in disguise are “Spiritual Experiences” like “A Meditation” as rightly quoted by Katrina in the film.

When you watch the beautiful creatures under the water passing through your body, touching your skin without any fear of being hurt, you feel like a part of them. Its under the water, where you actually realize the value of each and every breath you take as brilliantly shown in the film. When you see the earth below flying up above in the sky (para-gliding in my case), with your safety solely depending upon the MARZI of the ALMIGHTY, then it’s a completely different enlightening experience beyond comparison.

And here I would like to end my review of ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA with a humble friendly request. We all spend some part of our money on Religious Pilgrimages of our beloved deities year after year and for that purpose we very easily take out some time too from our busy schedules. But here I would like to suggest that Just skip one Pilgrimage tour in a year and spend that amount of money and time in fulfilling any hidden desire of yours to go on a certain adventure……Believe me, this one decision of your life will bring such positive energy into your being, which in turn will hugely benefit everyone around you and this change will stay with you and your family forever. And take it from me that every GOD of every religion will happily approve your this decision of life and will give you much more than you had expected unconditionally. So just have fun in your life & Enjoy!

Ratings : 4 / 5 (Watch it to learn how to Enjoy, have fun & live your life to the max.)