Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, the latest offering from Zoya Akhtar, is a film which has no story. No conventional story, that is, which meanders through plots and subplots finally making you aspire for a satiating climax and delivers it in the end.
In fact, this movie is not at all about destinations and how to reach them fast. It is about the journeys instead, and how to enjoy them. This is about soaking in this moment, living it fully today rather than waiting for some inexplicably desirable whole in a distant future.
The journey in ZNMD is meant to be both literal and figurative. Three old friends Kabir (Abhay Deol), Imran (Farhan Akhtar) and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan), get together to undertake Kabir's bachelor party road trip around Spain before his marriage. It is during this trip that each one of them confronts his personal demons, fights his private fears and attempts to untangle his relationship, be it with a girlfriend or a long-lost father. Whether they are able to do it and how, remains the mainstay of the film.
ZNMD is a genuinely intelligent & lively film, deftly handled by the director. There is some beautiful camaraderie and interaction among the actors, specially the three friends, interspersed with some really sparkling dialogue.
Farhan's character Imran has the wittiest of lines, delivered with his usual tongue-in-cheek humour made so popular with his TV shows. Abhay's understated style is again a winner, as is Kalki's slightly over-bearing one. Hrithik's restrained act in this movie is a memorable performance, specially in the scene where he gets the first taste of life in the deep waters. The happiest surprise for me is Katrina who has cast aside her bimbo act for good. Hers is a real and likeable character, played with conviction.
ZNMD is surely one of those select movies which you can gently laugh with and enjoy, as you do with close friends. Go for it.
