Director Gauri Shinde on Monday said she was “deeply disturbed” by “irresponsible comments” that her upcoming “Dear Zindagi” has strong similarities with Canadian TV series “Being Erica” which, she said, she hasn’t even seen.

“‘Dear Zindagi’ is a deeply personal film. There is only one thing it borrows from. That’s my life…. there are a million films and serials with therapists like there are with doctors. Just because there is a doctor in a film does not mean it borrows from another film with a doctor.

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“Am deeply disturbed by irresponsible comments from people who have no clue what it is that they are referring to… I have not seen this series that they refer to.. and I cannot comment on what is in it,” she said in a statement.

Shinde added that “in today’s world where everybody sees everything, I am not so dumb that I believe I can get away by deliberate plagiarism nor am I so insensitive to borrow without giving credit from anybody who has created anything for such a sensitive and important cause”.

“Dear Zindagi” is a slice-of-life film with Alia playing the protagonist – an aspiring filmmaker, who is on the lookout for a lot of unanswered questions. The film also featured Shah Rukh Khan, Ali Zafar, Aditya Roy Kapur, Kunal Kapoor and Angad Bedi.

It is Shinder’s second outing after “English Vinglish”.

IANS

Watch Alia Bhatt groove to the club mix of Love you zindagi from her film Dear Zindagi. Amit Trivedi’s Music and Alia Bhatt’s vibrant voice make the track a must have in your dance playlists. The beats are catchy and the song is sure to rock in all clubs. It’s time to dance away all your worries and love your zindagi!

Of course you’d be bogged down if your debut and only film is as successful and critically acclaimed as ‘English Hinglish’. Director Gauri Shinde took four years to come up with her second film. Even by lofty ad film standards that’s awfully slow (a 10 second ad film takes days to shoot). If the audience then expects something spectacular, you can’t blame them can you?

Her latest offering ‘Dear Zindagi’ begins well. Alia Bhatt manages to bite her teeth into her complex character superbly. If you think Alia has already exhausted displaying her range of emotions on screen in her earlier films, she definitely surprises you. Keira (Alia) is a free-spirited cinematographer, who is afraid of long-term relationships with men and goes through a gamut of traumatic emotions and depression.

Alia scores big in these portions of the film – although am waiting to come across a cinematographer who does steady cam him/herself (as Alia shown in the first scene). It’s a specialised job to carry 15-30 kg weight of camera equipment and only the big and sturdy fit into the profession. 

Till this was the premise, the film holds true, rather Alia holds fort and you are waiting in anticipation. You enjoy the shot takings and editing of the setting of an urban milieu – Alia being surrounded by quite well-off friends and getting wooed by hot shot producers (Kunal Kapoor) and restaurateurs (Angad Bedi). And Gauri’s Ad film background helped her making the scenes interesting and somewhat believable. 

But then Kaira plunges into a big bout of depression after being dumped by one of the suitors and the movie travels to her hometown Goa. Here she finally meets DD (Dimag ka Doctor) Shah Rukh Khan. As DD, Shah Rukh Khan virtually plays him. He has all the answers, looks great for a change in different shades of linen pants and shirts and yes does an adequate job of playing himself in most part. But here you lose interest.

There is absolutely no clue who is Shah Rukh Khan (Dr Jehangir Khan) in the movie – a psychiatrist, a psychologist or a psycho analyst? He takes analysis session with patients in the most unconventional ways (outdoor, running around in his room, using chairs and tables as symbolism to prove his point). This is called stretching Bollywood film liberty to the maximum. This is also where Kaira becomes Alia; the character sounds more like the Alia who appears on Koffee with Karan and various promotional events.  

The long verbose exchanges between Kaira and Dimag ka Doctor become more and more simplistic, inexplicable and downright boring.

And there is every chance you wouldn’t agree to the ending. The very little music in the movie of Amit Trivedi may be adequate but fails to inject life.

Amongst the positives the ‘Highway’ girl Alia Bhatt again betters herself – comes up with a five-star performance. And the movie has all the technical sleekness expected when an Ad filmmaker makes a feature film.  

`Take 4’, the new teaser of Dear Zindagi,. The teaser begins with the voiceover of Shah Rukh Khan and Bhatt’s character displaying diverse range of emotions. The inhibitions have stayed with her and crippled her ability to love freely.

Actress Alia Bhatt says she is taking her “Dear Zindagi” co-star Shah Rukh Khan’s advice — on being careful about being “too good too soon” — seriously.

On a recent appearance on “Koffee With Karan”, Shah Rukh praised Alia and described her as “one of the finest actors of the generation”.

Watch : Alia Bhatt dances and sings with kids to celebrate Children’s Day

He also said: “Alia is too good too soon. I don’t want her to get trapped in just doing great acting without experiencing everything in Indian cinema. If you become too good too soon, you may have inhibitions being bad at times. It is wonderful to be bad at the time.”

When asked if she feels any pressure of being praised by a superstar like SRK, the 23-year-old actress said here: “Pressure is there either way. I heard that compliment and we have spoken about it many times. I feel overwhelmed when he says something like that to me.”

Watch : Must Watch | First Teaser of Shah Rukh, Alia Bhatt’s ‘Dear Zindagi’

Alia spoke to the media on the sidelines of the unveiling of the cover of Filmfare Glamour and Style magazine on Monday evening.

Talking about the Bollywood Badshah, she said: “He is Shah Rukh Khan, but he is also somebody whom I have loved and admired all my life as an actor, star, and celebrity or as a person. Yes, that compliment meant a lot to me. I also do agree with him that I need to be bad. I also don’t want to burn out.”

“I don’t want to be performance-oriented and want to have some fun. Therefore, I am taking his advice very seriously. I will follow up and be back.”

Just recently, veteran actress Sharmila Tagore said that she would want Alia to play her on screen if a biopic is made on her late husband, cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.

Also Read : Fear of failure keeps me going: Alia Bhatt

Reacting to that, the “Udta Punjab” star said: “We met recently at a show and she said she liked ‘Kapoor & Sons’. When legends like Sharmila ma’am or Shah Rukh Khan say things like that about you, it feels very nice. This industry is like a family. So it’s like elders motivating us. I can only say thank you to them.”

“If I get that opportunity to portray Sharmila ma’am on screen, I will perform it well,” she said.

“Dear Zindagi” is directed by Gauri Shinde and releases on November 25.

IANS

Actress Alia Bhatt, who is gearing up for the release of her upcoming slice-of-life film “Dear Zindagi”, says failure is something which keeps her going.

Alia on Thursday treated her fans to a question-and-answer session, where a fan asked her about facing failure.

“Fear of failure is what keeps me going. So I fear it, but it also motivates me,” Alia said.

Read ‘Dear Zindagi’ Take 2 showcases Shah Rukh, Alia’s special bond

Another Twitter user asked the 23-year-old actress about how she tackles people who speak out against her.

.@Aadesh_x #AskAliaAboutZindagi pic.twitter.com/7t9Y78JtXp

— Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) November 3, 2016

“Everyone has the right to have an opinion about you, so there is no need to tackle anybody. You just be positive and know who you are as a person and that’s all that matters,” she said.

Directed by Gauri Shinde, “Dear Zindagi” also stars Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. This would be the first time the 51-year-old superstar will be seen sharing screen space with Alia.

The “Highway” actress says her favourite Shah Rukh Khan films are “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, “Chak De! India” and of course, “Dear Zindagi”.

IANS

It is interesting to see how Alia Bhatt’s reputation as someone who gets trolled and is cool enough to take it on her chin is used in the second teaser trailer of Gauri Shinde’s “Dear Zindagi”.

The one trolling Alia in this teaser about bonding and backchat is none other than superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who plays Jahangir Khan — ‘Jug’ to friends.

In a moment of conversational ‘kabaddi’, Shah Rukh tells Alia he repairs cycles and if he can’t repair them, he ‘re-cycles’ them.

Cue for Alia to chuckle over the irony of ‘recycled’ cycles. On a more serious note, she wants to know if damaged human beings can also be repaired. 

In both the teasers of “Dear Zindagi”, one can see SRK and Alia bonding over seemingly lighthearted bantering. But the indications of a deeper thrust to their relationship cannot be missed.

Amit Trivedi’s evocative music ensures we know there is more to this than meets the eye.

Alia may chuckle over her wise and all-knowing co-star recycling bicycles, but somewhere deep down her character Kyra is searching for a reparation for which these trailers are mere preparation.

IANS

The setting for Gauri Shinde’s second film “Dear Zindagi” is Goa. The teaser opens magnificently to the sound of waves and seagulls. Before superstar Shah Rukh Khan or his endearing co-star Alia Bhatt make an appearance, one can hear his voice.

He is saying that his father will bring him to the beach to play ‘kabaddi’ with waves.

SRK then proceeds to show Alia how. Her embarrassment, amazement, surprise and delight are contagious. The sequence is vintage Goan nostalgia – mixing the odour of memory with the magical pleasure of the moment when the present company seems as perfect as it can get.

Shah Rukh looks very happy in Alia’s company. 

Perhaps it is the company he is seen keeping in the brief but irradiant trailer that lights up the screen for less than a minute leaving film buffs craving for more.

SRK, Alia unveil first look of ‘Dear Zindagi’

Shah Rukh Khan is in Prague and shooting for Imtiaz Ali’s ‘The Ring’

The feeling of a life worth living comes through in the second scene of the trailer when we see Shah Rukh and Alia cycling together. She declares in her girlish excitement that she wants to be free. And speeds ahead of her companion, only to tumble at the roadside.

He doesn’t laugh. He sniggers. And refuses to pick her up. Maybe he wants her to learn to be self-sufficient. Or maybe he’s just being playful.

Shah Rukh seems to be the older man who has seen the vivacity of youth not too long ago. And their relationship? It is definitely not that of a conventional couple. Nor do they seem to share a mentor-pupil equation.

This is something deep and wholesome

Shah Rukh after a dull innings with his last two films seems bright, alert and romantic. As for Alia, she is again going to prove herself an underage performing miracle.

Incidentally, there are two Gauris in the credit titles – director Gauri Shinde and producer Gauri Khan. And yes, Shah Ruh continues to keep his gallant promise. The heroine’s name comes before his in the billing.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt on Tuesday revealed the first look of director Gauri Shinde’s upcoming “Dear Zindagi”.

Alia first tweeted a photograph from the upcoming movie. It also had a caption on the side of the image, where the two actors appeared to be chatting.

“Dear Zindagi, Is it OK to not be OK? Alia,” the caption read.

Shah Rukh replied: “Dear Alia, See the Sun is up. The sky is kinda blue. Sort of beautiful. So it’s OK if you are not OK. As long as you take care of one person… And that one person is you. SRK.”

This @aliaa08 has no sense of timing. But I have to answer her….wherever I am. Hope the poster helps. #DearZindagi pic.twitter.com/VuNfdbj3dM

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) October 18, 2016

A tweet from the official handle of the “Don” star’s production banner — Red Chillies Entertainment, stated that the film will be hitting the screens on November 25.

“It was absolutely amazing (experience of working with Shah Rukh). It was such a beautiful experience to work with him. He is so professional,” Alia told IANS over phone.

Since her debut project “Student of the Year” in 2012, Alia has delivered laudable performances in films like “Highway”, “2 States”, “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania”, “Kapoor and Sons” and “Udta Punjab”.

Also read: Big B begins shooting for ‘Sarkar 3’

Gauri Shinde’s “Dear Zindagi” marks the first time that she will appear in a film with Shah Rukh. And she is ecstatic about the project.

“I admire him as a worker so much because he is so good to work with and be around on the sets,” said Alia, who is the daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and yesteryear actress Soni Razdan.

The first look of “Dear Zindagi”, in which the actors seem to be having a deep conversation, teased movie buffs.

And Alia says she “can’t wait for the people to see the film”.