A warm hello to life

Some chairs are too cold. Some hurt your butt. So, while shopping for one, make sure that you rest your rear on every piece on offer. So there goes Alia Bhatt on a two-and-a-half-hour shopping spree, checking out every chair, err, man she runs into. After all, every relationship is like a chair, she is told by her 'brain doctor' Shah Rukh Khan.

Dear Zindagi wafts across like a fresh breeze for the most part. Alia's Kaira is a free spirit that every girl relates to (at least at some point of life). The raring-to-go cinematographer shares every dirty little secret with her friends (the very likeable Ira Dubey and Yashaswini Dayama), hates her overbearing parents, and is a complete mess in her romantic relationships. So Angad Bedi, Kunal Kapoor and Ali Zafar — each perfectly cast as Alia's boyfriend of the moment —get the unceremonious kick pretty early.

Yes, she "hates couples". But she also figures out that she needs a therapist. Shah Rukh Khan gets to play his age and he does it with elan. No pretence here. But the movie belongs to Alia Bhatt who is at the top of her game.

While it is refreshing to see the doctor and patient bond over some unconventional "therapy sessions" in picture-postcard Goa, the sittings turn borderline boring after some time. But before that, Dear Zindagi throws up some real gems on life. Yes, it's okay to be a mess. An occasional clean-up will not hurt, though.

Some chairs are too cold. Some hurt your butt. So, while shopping for one, make sure that you rest your rear on every piece on offer. So there goes Alia Bhatt on a two-and-a-half-hour shopping spree, checking out every chair, err, man she runs into. After all, every relationship is like a chair, she is told by her 'brain doctor’ Shah Rukh Khan.

Dear Zindagi wafts across like a fresh breeze for the most part. Alia’s Kaira is a free spirit that every girl relates to (at least at some point of life). The raring-to-go cinematographer shares every dirty little secret with her friends (the very likeable Ira Dubey and Yashaswini Dayama), hates her overbearing parents, and is a complete mess in her romantic relationships. So Angad Bedi, Kunal Kapoor and Ali Zafar — each perfectly cast as Alia’s boyfriend of the moment — get the unceremonious kick pretty early.

Yes, she "hates couples”. But she also figures out that she needs a therapist. Shah Rukh Khan gets to play his age and he does it with elan. No pretence here. But the movie belongs to Alia Bhatt who is at the top of her game.

While it is refreshing to see the doctor and patient bond over some unconventional "therapy sessions” in picture-postcard Goa, the sittings turn borderline boring after some time. But before that, Dear Zindagi throws up some real gems on life. Yes, it’s okay to be a mess. An occasional clean-up will not hurt, though.