review of 'zindagi na milegi dobara'

Given that this summer has been a season of sequels, while ‘zindagi na milegi dobara’ has a nice ring to it, methinks “dil chahta hai 2 – the road trip” would have worked better. Why not Zoya?! After all, Farhan Bhai also managed to squeeze in the trailer of his own sequel of ‘don’?!

Don’t get me wrong, doston – no complaints about the striking similarity b/w DCH & ZNMD … it’s like going to a restaurant & ordering the same food again – some of my friends accuse me of being a bore, but for me, I enjoy the encore effect of a tried & tested yummy dish.

A sense of déjà-vu hits you, as ZNMD kicks off – the three langothiya yaars & their stories, which unfold in the course of a fun, road trip across Spain – nothing profound, or deep, but a pretty tale, well told – great locales, plenty of fun action, lots of hotties for all you notties, Hrithik for us gals & Katrina ki jawani for the mard log!

From the business point of view, Zoya may not even need the movie to be a hit, to break even or make some healthy profits – she must have received a hefty commission from the tourism department of Spain – I challenge anyone, after seeing the film, who doesn’t wanna head straight to Spain! Stunning Senhoritas, lovely haciendas, winding roads, guttural Spanish accents, deep sea diving, paratrooping & the exciting run from the bulls – all for the humble price of 30dhs!

Then there’s Hrithik Roshan – allow this middle aged lady to drool for a moment! What a handsome hunk & dances like a dream!

Farhan Akhtar – Ashok got it spot on when he said that his strength is his supreme confidence – I mean, kuch saal pehle, who would have thought that this most unlikely hero material would act, romance, dance (didn’t notice him too much, given that Hrithik was dancing in the same frame!) & God save us all, sing!!!! A weak plot surrounding him & his search for his dad who abandoned him, played in a surprisingly predictable manner, by Naseeruddin Shah!

I have been huge fan of Abhay Deol, ‘Socha Na Tha’ se ‘Aisha’ tak … not sure what happened, but he came across as slightly subdued & overawed by the presence of the other stars & dude, PHULEEZ, never try to sing again!!!!!

Kalki Koechlin’s ‘hat-ke’ looks worked for the wonderful & bizarre “Dev-D”, but in the typical Bollywood scenario, she just looks plain, pale & what’s with the protruding teeth & jaw-line? Or maybe she is simply overshadowed by our own Sheela, the lovely Ms Kaif, who looks totally at ease in this urban, cool set up and is drop dead gorgeous!

ZNMD is an effortless, breezy, happy watch, but that’s it! Lots of gloss 'n glamour, but not much substance here. I personally preferred Zoya’s debut film, the realistic & slightly morbid “luck by chance’.

Yeah, yeah, ZNMD is all about fighting your inner demons & conquering your fears, but for that, I would rather check out Hari Puttar & his doston, set the screen on fire tomorrow! As you can see, a busy weekend at “Casa Kaushik” …. we are like this wonly!!!