Dear Zindagi

<p>Kaira, a young and ambitious in , aspires to direct her own films. Though creatively driven, she is emotionally guarded and often cynical, finding comfort primarily in her close-knit group of friends—Fatima, Jackie, Raunaq, and Ganju. Her personal life becomes increasingly complicated when she ends her relationship with her Sid and begins a brief affair with her friend Raghuvendra, a . The situation worsens when Raghuvendra gets engaged to another woman. Shortly after, Kaira is evicted from her apartment due to the building society’s policy favoring families and married couples. With no other option, Kaira relocates to her family home in , despite longstanding emotional distance and unresolved resentment towards her parents. Plagued by and inner turmoil, she reluctantly begins therapy with Dr. Jehangir “Jug” Khan, an unconventional and empathetic . As their sessions progress, Jug helps Kaira confront her suppressed insecurities and fears. Meanwhile, she initiates a relationship with Rumi, a charming , but ends it upon realizing their incompatibility. Through and reconnection with her younger brother Kiddo, Kaira gradually confronts the root of her emotional struggles—her feelings of abandonment stemming from being left with her grandparents during her childhood while her parents rebuilt their lives, and then bursts into tears. Jug helps her understand that this abandonment has caused her to fear emotional attachment and preemptively end relationships to avoid getting hurt. He encourages her to view her parents as flawed individuals rather than idealized caregivers, thereby empowering her to begin the process of emotional reconciliation. During their final session, Kaira admits that she has developed feelings for Jug. He gently explains that it is not uncommon for patients to feel this way toward their therapists, but a romantic relationship between them would be unethical. The two part on amicable terms, sharing a warm farewell. Kaira eventually completes her short film and debuts it at a screening attended by her family, friends, and former partners. Having come to terms with her past, she opens herself to new possibilities, initiating a conversation with a furniture designer at the event—signaling a renewed sense of self and emotional openness. : marked the second directorial venture of following her acclaimed debut (2012). The film was jointly produced by under , under , and Shinde under her banner Hope Productions. Speaking about the film’s inspiration, Shinde stated that was not based on any singular personal experience but was “inspired by life in general,” particularly the emotional connections people form and how those influence their worldview. By August 2015, Shinde confirmed she had nearly completed the screenplay, and work began in December of the same year. Much of the technical crew from returned for the film, including editor Hemanti Sarkar, co-writer Krishnan Hariharan, and cinematographer . , who served as the film’s lyricist, also contributed as a language consultant and co-writer. Production designer Rupin Suchak was a new addition to the team. Shinde selected and as the primary filming locations due to the narrative’s urban and coastal themes. In early reports from , and were announced as leads. Shinde confirmed that the film would not feature a conventional romantic plot between their characters, describing their relationship as one of emotional mentorship rather than romantic entanglement. Khan played Dr. Jehangir “Jug” Khan, a therapist, while Bhatt portrayed Kaira, a budding filmmaker struggling with personal and professional dilemmas. Bhatt expressed enthusiasm about working with Khan for the first time, calling it a significant opportunity in her career. Supporting roles were filled by a diverse ensemble, including as a , as Kaira’s childhood friend, and as a —his final role in a Hindi film. made a as a furniture designer. and Yashaswini Dayama portrayed Kaira’s friends, while debutant appeared as her younger brother. Principal photography commenced on 21 January 2016 in Goa. The film was shot across two primary schedules—Goa and Mumbai—with a few sequences later filmed in Singapore. The Goa schedule concluded by late February 2016, and the team proceeded to Mumbai for the next phase. Alia Bhatt documented much of the production process on social media, including a farewell selfie with the crew in Singapore to mark the film’s completion on 20 May 2016. In interviews, Bhatt spoke about the intense emotional depth of the shoot and her excitement at working alongside Khan for the first time. On 23 June 2016, officially confirmed the title of the film as . The soundtrack for was composed by Amit Trivedi, with lyrics primarily written by Kausar Munir. It was released by , with the full album made available on 4 November 2016. An audio jukebox of the album was subsequently released on on 10 November 2016. The album features a recreated version of the classic song “Ae Zindagi Gale Laga Le,” originally composed by with lyrics by and sung by for the film (1983). The rendition in was included alongside original tracks, all of which reflect the film’s introspective tone and coming-of-age narrative. was released in the United States and Canada on 23 November 2016, followed by a worldwide release on 25 November 2016. It opened in approximately 1,200 theatres across India and 600 overseas. A special screening was held in Mumbai on 23 November 2016. opened strongly in multiplexes across , , and , with a comparatively decent response in . In North America, the film released earlier to coincide with the weekend. It collected ₹1.19 crore from 127 screens in the United States and ₹8.29 lakh from 16 screens in Canada on its first day. Over the extended two-day weekend, it grossed approximately ₹1.58 crore in North America. The film earned ₹94.67 crore in India and grossed ₹136 crore worldwide. received generally positive reviews, with praise for and ‘s performances, ’s direction, the screenplay, music, and its thematic depth. On , the film holds a 73% approval rating based on 15 reviews, with an average score of 6.7/10. Meena Iyer of rated the film 3.5/5, describing Bhatt’s character as “feisty” and commending the lead performances. of gave 3/5, highlighting the chemistry between Bhatt and Khan despite “heavy-handed writing.” Ananya Bhattacharya of called it “an emotional joyride” and recommended it for the actors’ performances. Mayank Shekhar of rated it 3/5, describing it as a “conversational and mostly quiet” film. Conversely, Rohit Bhatnagar of rated it 2.5/5, praising the acting but calling it a “one-time watch.” echoed this rating, calling it a “slow-paced cerebral tale.” Sweta Kaushal of gave 2/5, criticizing its “hollow banter.” Shubhra Gupta of found the film lacking emotional depth despite strong performances. Internationally, Christine Iyer of rated it 4/5, praising Khan’s portrayal of Dr. Jehangir “Jug” Khan. Manjusha Radhakrishnan of gave 3.5/5, calling the film “joyously entertaining.” Anisha Jhaveri of graded it A−, citing its “powerful message.” Shilpa Jamkhandikar of criticized its tendency to over-explain emotions, while Andy Webster of called it an “insightful movie” and a “resounding victory.” In early November 2016, reports emerged that Pakistani actor-singer had been replaced by in , following the and the ’s call to ban Pakistani artists. However, on 14 November, denied the rumours, stating: “Nobody is being replaced. The film will release in its full form.” Although Zafar had recorded two songs for the film, his versions were replaced in the soundtrack album by . Zafar’s original renditions were later released online. Following the film’s release, Canadian company served a legal notice to Dharma Productions, alleging that plagiarized elements from their television series . Director Gauri Shinde denied the allegation.</p>