Movie Review: Dear Zindagi..could’ve taught better life lessons

There was something alluring in its trailers or rather, teasers. Something that indicated that this would be a ‘hatke’ movie. Maybe it was the fresh humor, or the fact that it had Shahrukh in a mature role (for a change) and Alia seeking his counsel – it certainly had an appeal to it. While it does expound some interesting philosophy, especially at the first half stage – by the end of it all, the life lessons that Dear Zindagi gives don’t really stir you as much as you would wish them to.

The initial part of the movie seems a good, subtle commentary on the life and times of today’s Gen Y - their confusion and insecurities. What does challenge a bit is the slow pacing and distinct lack of humor. Still the perspective shown at the half way mark is bound to get you to snap out of slumber and take notice of proceedings. Unfortunately, all that fervor dies down in the second half, with all that fresh thinking discarded for some stereotypical plot development.

That said, how much you will like the movie is highly influenced by the degree to which you can connect and relate with the issues of the protagonist. Unfortunately, the way the script unfolds, it is harder for you to gradually build connect with the protagonist and get influenced by her ups and downs, if you can’t otherwise relate to them.

While the movie has both Shahrukh and Alia, it heavily focuses only on Alia’s character. I would’ve loved a more balanced narrative across the two, especially more depth to Shahrukh’s character but that’s not the case here. In terms of acting, while Alia does a great job this time round as well, I am a tad less enthusiastic, because it’s an extremely familiar character for her. That said, while a little unconvincing up front in the first half, she is brilliant in the second especially the emotional scenes. Shahrukh, sadly is still very much Shahrukh Khan and while that itself will have the girls swooning, he doesn’t get into the character he plays. To be fair, there is very little room given to him by the way his character is written as well.

While it makes some interesting points, it largely falls back on the familiar rather than bring up a fresh perspective on unexplored realms. The over-extended runtime doesn’t help its cause and while the intent is appreciated, Dear Zindagi ultimately is not the love letter to life you wish it to be.

Movie Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them..magic but not magical

At the outset, being an ardent Potter freak, I may be a bit harsh on this one.  Fantastic beasts… is pretty acceptable fare as a standalone feature, with mind blowing special effects, cute and endearing creatures, a new set of characters and peppered with humor every now and then. Where it falls short is in its weak development of the nemesis and poor plot development despite the dark overtones. Then of course, there is the association with the Potter-verse…

Many many moons ago, Rowling introduced us to the magical world of wizards and the legend of Harry Potter. 7 books and 8 movies that captured our imagination and stretched the bounds of our creativity with a deep focus on narrative, character development and expert story telling. With this latest offering, while she and the director David Yates, try to tell us we are back in that universe – it feels more like a homage than an actual homecoming for us Potter fans.

Fantastic Beasts.. (despite the very odd and long title) starts off on a wonderful note and keeps you interested initially, with characters, spells and creatures, both familiar and new, However, it ends up spending more time and considerable creativity on the new beasts than the story or characters themselves. The protagonist(s) don’t get enough detailing or backstory to make you feel connected and care for them. Neither is there an undercurrent of impending dread or deep roots (along the lines of ‘He Who Must Not Be Named’)

Fantastic Beasts..is best when its just having a bit of fun and not trying to take itself too seriously. Its dark moments stick out in sharp contrast and actually spoil proceedings rather than enhance them. It is towards its climax and final moments that Fantastic Beasts..spins the yarn a bit more and introduces elements that make you somewhat keen on the sequels that will inevitably follow.

Eddie Redmayne gives everything to his character of Newt. He is Newt, with eyes that show love and wonder for his magical creatures, a touch of anguish when they are in trouble and sincerity all the way through. Dan Fogler does an even more noticeable job, with the most enjoyable character of Kowalski and steals your attention every now and then. Katherine Waterston is relatively disappointing, in part due to her weak character of Goldstein. Colin Farrell is too intense and sombre as Mr. Graves.


Rowling’s return to the wizarding world is a fresh and unique offering which while its set in the same universe, misses a bit of the old magic in its story telling. Still, with the new beasts for company and the final plot twists, it may make for even better sequels in the years to come. As a Potter fan, go with low expectations and while not fantastic, these beasts might just grab some attention.

Movie Review: Dr. Strange…stranger not stronger

Ever since The Avengers brought everything together so neatly, the Marvel universe has been getting stranger and stranger. While some would herald the newbies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Antman and Deadpool as welcome additions that brought freshness to the universe, I see these as distractions and obstructions, to the simplicity with which The Avengers brought magic to the silver screen. Dr. Strange, while stranger still, is sadly, no different.

The story is the real letdown here. Have you read a book called Simoquin Prophecies? While a relatively lesser known fantasy title by author Samit Basu, it pulls ‘inspiration’ from a variety of existing, well known epics and fantasy stories (from Ramayana to Harry Potter to give you some clue). Such a description would suit Dr. Strange as well – string together some concepts from The Matrix and Harry Potter, some scenes from Inception, give it a different name and lo behold – Dr. Strange shall appear before you. Only, after drawing such inspiration, there is nothing inspiring or magical about the tale Dr. Strange chooses to weave for this newest superhero. The start is intriguing and interesting, but after keeping your interest somewhat to the half way stage the threads just fall apart. This really is a disappointment, because the visual effects and humor manage to keep you engaged and with a stellar plotline this could’ve become one of Marvel’s better offerings

The visual effects are spell binding. The context of the movie is such that it required significant visual delight to truly impress and to give credit, Dr. Strange does excel in that department. While not all scenes do justice to the 3D, some scenes show considerable promise, especially during the initial stages of the movie. The (now trademark) Marvel humor is also very much present and makes for some much needed comic relief during particularly dull moments.

Cumberbatch gives it his all and it is apparent that he is enjoying himself – pretty much through the movie. The challenge is also that you don’t know whether to take Dr. Strange seriously or simply see this one in a lighter vein wherein truly anything can happen. There is a fair amount of ‘learning’ that the audience has to do and terms we have to get familiar with as well. The sad part however, is after all that learning, the climax completely disappoints and it all seems like much ado over nothing spectacular. The visual effects continue to impress and there is a kaleidoscope (quite literally) of images making for one spectacular visual showcase. However, the yarn continues to disappoint. You don’t at all feel vested into Dr. Strange or any of the characters in this universe (or is it multiverse…)

There are both mid-credits and end-credit sequences so stick around for those. For a change, these sequences actually pique your interest – more perhaps than even the movie manages. Strange as it may seem, my suggestion to you despite the seemingly rave reviews, would be to sit this one out unless you want to go purely for the dazzling visuals – plotwise Dr. Strange doesn’t conjure up enough to keep your interest.