<p>At the beginning of the film, Kabir proposes to Natasha. At their engagement party, Natasha learns that Kabir is planning a three-week bachelor road trip to Spain with his high school friends, Imraan and Arjun. Kabir explains that the three have a long-standing pact, and during the road trip, each of them will have to pick an adventure sport, which all three will try together. Arjun, however, is reluctant to take part in the trip due to his workaholism as a stockbroker, which also caused his ex-fiancée Rohini to leave him. Imraan has an additional personal agenda on the trip – to find his biological father Salman Habib, an artist in Spain, despite his mother’s protests. The trio set off to Spain, where they plan to visit the Costa Brava, Seville, and Pamplona. On their way, Imraan throws Arjun’s phone out of the window in the middle of a work call, which enrages him. They have an argument about Imraan sleeping with Arjun’s then-girlfriend Sonali back in college (who later ditched Imraan too), and Arjun asks him to not apologise unless it’s wholeheartedly. Kabir then comes in and stops the argument by advising them not to bring Sonali up since she had caused the trip to be cancelled four years prior. At Costa Brava, they meet Laila, a British-Indian fashion design student. Imraan flirts with her, which makes Arjun jealous. Kabir reveals that he has chosen as their first sport, and they later find that Laila is their diving instructor. Arjun, who cannot swim and is , receives assistance from Laila in overcoming his fears, and he begins to fall in love with her. They attend the festival held in Buñol with Laila, where they meet her friend Nuria, who has an affair with Imraan. Meanwhile, Natasha, who has grown suspicious of Kabir’s involvement with Laila, surprises him by crashing his bachelor party trip. Imraan spends time with Nuria, and Arjun with Laila. Arjun reveals that his obsession with work and money is due to his childhood trauma of financially struggling after his father unexpectedly died. After the men leave, Laila realises she has fallen in love with Arjun and chases them on a bike until she catches up. She and Arjun express their feelings for each other with a passionate kiss. Natasha is appeased and leaves. Arjun, Imraan and Kabir visit Seville for , as per Arjun’s choice. Imraan is forced to confront his . After skydiving, the three men go to a bar and get into a fight with a stranger on whom they had tried to pull a prank. They are jailed after the fight. Salman, Imraan’s father, bails them out and takes them to his home. While speaking to Imraan, Salman reveals that he never wanted the responsibility of a married life with kids, while Imraan’s mother did, which is why he left. Imraan asks him to never apologise unless it’s wholeheartedly and realises his mistake for hurting Arjun. Imraan apologises to him, thus rekindling their lost bond. Kabir admits to Arjun and Imraan that he is not ready for marriage and proposed to Natasha by accident (the ring he gave her was actually for his mother’s birthday), but is reluctant to call off the wedding for fear of breaking Natasha’s heart and their families’ disapproval. The trio leave for the at Pamplona. Imraan suggests they make a pact to keep their promises if they survive the event. Imraan vows to publish his poetry, Arjun vows to go to Morocco with Laila and live life to the fullest with her, and Kabir vows to tell Natasha that he is not ready to marry her. The friends gain a renewed sense of their relationships with each other, with others they know, and with themselves. As the credits roll, Imraan, Kabir, Nuria and Natasha attend Arjun and Laila’s wedding in Morocco. Kabir didn’t marry Natasha, but they are still friends and she has a new partner, while Imraan and Nuria became a couple. filmed scenes as Imran’s stepfather, Faisal Qureshi, but he did not make the theatrical cut. In November 2009, director-writer and completed the scripting of a film after three months of work. The script had the , before the title was finalised, the new title being an amendment of the line “Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara” from the of (2008). Akhtar and Kagti incorporated real-life observations and wrote the character of Imran for the former’s brother , who wrote the dialogue for the film. Farhan produced the film with under . The theme of the film was “three guys on the verge of making commitments in life”, according to him. They used Farhan’s father ‘s poetry as a voiceover because they felt the poetry added depth to the characters and lent voice to their feelings. A special poem inspired by a fan’s poem was written for ‘s character after she was cast in the project. The first choice for the location of was Mexico, but was later changed to Spain because the climax features the running of bulls and Zoya wanted a country that blended history, culture, and sports. The film’s release date was postponed twice because its original editor fell ill and they had to re-edit it. Initially, the producers wanted and to play two of the three leads, but they declined without specifying a reason. Farhan Akhtar had worked with Zoya on her debut film (2009) and also wrote dialogue for the film; Zoya felt he would know exactly what she wanted from the film. He was the first actor to be cast in the film. Farhan Akhtar defined his role as a “fun character” and a “guy who for the longest time takes nothing seriously”. was chosen for another lead role because he was one of Zoya’s favourite actors. After finalising the two, she needed someone “who could not just fit in with them visually but also bring something new to the table.” She sought for the role, as he was her friend and had worked with her before in Kagti’s (2007) For the role of Laila, Zoya wanted someone with an accent who would be willing to , and was a half-Indian and half-Caucasian woman. A lot of women were auditioned for the part in New York and London. Later, at a party, Zoya met Katrina Kaif and chose her for the role. Her role was described as “a free- spirited girl, a wanderer at heart and a bohemian gypsy by nature”. Zoya had wanted to work with ever since seeing her in (2009) and (2011); she felt Koechlin would suit the character of Natasha because she had “the sense of comedy, but not over-the-top”. Spanish actress was chosen for the role of Nuria because Zoya liked her work in the 2009 Spanish film . Principal photography began in June 2010 and took place in the United Kingdom, Egypt, Mumbai, and in Spain at Barcelona, , and . Cinematographer Carlos Catalan, who had worked with Zoya on , wanted all three lead actors to appear tanned because he “didn’t want everything glossed over” and wanted to make the film as realistic as possible. Kaif’s introduction scene was shot on a nudist beach; during the filming, the crew asked beach-goers stay out of the frame to avoid objections from the . The festival of Buñol was re-created for the song ” “; almost sixteen tons of tomatoes worth (US$120,000) were flown in from Portugal for the scene. A scene involving a kiss between Roshan and Kaif was filmed despite the couple’s reluctance to do so. The filming of the song ” ” took place in , a town in the . The crew warned local residents about the song’s volume because the scene was filmed at night. On the third day of filming, locals dressed in costumes attended and the mayor of Alájar joined them. The climax of the film, which features the , was filmed at Pamplona. The final schedules were at and in Mumbai in December 2010. Composer trio , who had worked with Farhan Akhtar in (2008) and (2010), composed the soundtrack for the film. The lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar. The composers engaged , a Spanish , to perform the vocals on “Señorita”; her film-singing debut. The song is also the singing debut of Roshan and Deol, who sang it along with Farhan Akhtar. The trailer of the film was revealed with the prints of which released on 3 June 2011, and was released online on 15 May 2011. partnered with to make promotional videos for the film available on mobile phones and the Internet. The trailer was watched over 55 million times within 48 hours of its release. Two more videos—one each for the songs “Ik Junoon” and “Senorita”—were released on 27 May. The music launch and promotion event took place at Nirmal Lifestyle, Mulund, Mumbai. A press conference promoting the film was held on 1 July at . Two dialogue promos of the film were released on 3 July. On 7 July the cast and crew embarked on a road trip from Mumbai to Delhi via Surat, Vadodra, Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Ajmer and Jaipur that culminated in a concert at Gurgaon. It is believed that British Auto manufacturer —which is now owned by —sponsored the driven by the cast members during the trip. A premier at the before the worldwide release was planned but was not executed. The film’s marketers released branded promotional items with , and . A mobile video game based on and the La Tomatina festival was released by Jump Games on 19 July 2011 for popular . OPIUM Eyewear launched exclusive sunglasses to promote the film. The release of was initially scheduled for 27 May 2011, but was postponed to 24 June 2011 and again to 15 July 2011. It was released in 1,800 screens worldwide. A special screening of the film was held at the residence of on 16 July, on the occasion of Kaif’s birthday. The event was attended by several celebrities, including the film’s cast and crew. The far-right political party criticised the event because it was held three days after the . The producers of the film donated the collections of the film from around 10 theatres in Mumbai to the Maharashtra government as a mark of charity to the victims of the bombings. On 24 March 2012, was screened at in , England. The film was released on DVD on 30 August 2011. It is available in 5.1 and stereo formats with English and Arabic subtitles. The film is also available on disc. Later on, the film was made available in both and . Zoya Akhtar has a unique, compelling voice and unlike many of her contemporaries, she actually respects that a cinema audience can be both intelligent and mature. — , garnered widespread acclaim from critics who praised its direction, story, screenplay, music, , cinematography and performances of the ensemble cast. On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 17 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7 out of 10. of called “a beautifully scripted journey of catharsis” and praised director Zoya Akhtar for being “fearless in the way she shoots”. In his review for , Mayank Shekhar gave the film four stars praised the film as “a game-changer for Hindi films since (2001), and wrote, “What you take home are memorable, amusing moments of three truly adventurous amigos we’ve all grown up with. And will continue to.” Shivesh Kumar of awarded the film 4 stars. of gave the film 3.5/5, calling it a film for “a more evolved, mature and cinema-literate audience that’s geared up to embrace and support newer genres of cinema”. of gave the film 3.5/5 stars and lauded its lead performances; “If Abhay is the anchor of the group, Farhan’s funster role is full of beans and Hrithik’s metamorphosis from uptight, money-minded stock broker to carefree vagabond is a class act”. S. Chatterjee of , gave the film 3/5 stars and said its philosophy is quite old; he praised Zoya Akhtar’s direction, stating, “Zoya Akhtar, by investing the tale with a delightful lightness of touch and dollops of gentle wit, brings a degree of freshness to bear upon the plot”. Shaikh Ayaz of rated the film 3.5/5 stars and wrote that Zoya Akhtar had put together a familiar plot but the film’s fresh energy is entertaining. He wrote, “Akhtar’s invigorating characters pump in fresh energy into a film that could have been strictly mediocre”. Kaveree Bamzai of also praised for Akhtar’s direction and said, “By the time I finished watching Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara I was convinced that no one can make a romance as beautifully as a woman”, giving the film 4 stars. Subhash K Jha rated 3.5/5 and wrote; “Zoya, God bless her aesthetics, sucks us into the beauty of the moment, not giving us any reason to believe that life’s most precious truths are swathed in squalor”. Blessy Chettiar of praised the music and Farhan Akhtar’s acting as highlights of the film, saying, “For all this, the storywriters use heavy doses of symbolism. Deep-sea diving at Costa Brava, sky-diving in Sevilla and the San Fermin bull run in Pamplona, not to forget the Tomatina festival in Buñol, where Arjun finally lets go. Fears are drowned, let open in the sky and finally at the mercy of raging bulls”, giving it 3 stars. of stated, ” takes the light-hearted tone of a fun, all-boys road trip through Spain to give you a deep and heartfelt message on why we should live life by seizing the moment and following our hearts”. He also praised the performances, highlighting them as one of the main positives of the film, but also said the film’s length “sucks some fun of out of the ride” and gave a rating of 3.5 stars. of said the film “tried too hard to be cool” and gave it 1.5/5 stars. Sudhish Kamath of said “Zoya Akhtar’s second outing as a director is way more filmi than her first about the film industry. This one only pretends to be real. It’s not.” Ryan Gilbey of was broadly positive about the film; he wrote, “It’s still playing to full houses, and you can see why. Slick it may be. But tourist board employees representing the various Spanish cities flattered in the movie are not the only ones who will come out grinning”, and that he found the film “stubbornly un-macho” for a buddy film. reviewer Kaleem Aftab, in his 4-star review wrote; “Throwing together road trip, romcom and buddy-buddy action in a single picture may sound like an ill-conceived masala mash-up, but like any good dish, the ingredients are blended together with affection to create one of the best feel-good movies of the year”. In India, came in second on release behind . It opened well in the multiplexes; the occupancy ranged from 70 to 100 per cent, despite receiving an average opening in single-screen cinemas except in the . The film grossed (US$6.2 million) in its opening three-day weekend, including (US$870,000) on its first day, and a net total of (US$3.1 million) on the third day. After ten days of worldwide showings it grossed (US$13 million). In 17 days, it grossed over (US$8.3 million) in India. With no significant competition other than , remained in second place at the box office for four weeks after its release. It was one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2011 in India and internationally; it was declared a blockbuster in India and in overseas territories. Outside India, grossed (US$1.4 million) in three days, which made it the biggest opening for an Indian film in 2011. The film reached top-twenty lists in the US and UK. It grossed 896,289 in UK, 3,103,656 in the US, 387,384 in Australia and 136,380 in New Zealand. As of January 2012, the film has grossed 7.25 million overseas. The film grossed (US$18 million) worldwide, surpassing the of Roshan’s (2006) and becoming the ninth-highest worldwide grossing Bollywood film of all time as of October 2011. As of October 2021, the film is ranked at No. 89 for worldwide grossing of Indian films. After the release of , animal rights organisation (PETA) objected to the bull-running scene and sought support from fans via their Twitter page to ban the film. PETA spokesperson Poorva Joshipura spoke about the event and said, “We will now be contacting the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Central Board of Film Certification to take action”. The film’s producer Ritesh Sidhwani said, “We had submitted all the papers to the Animal Welfare Board India that stated that none of the animals were injured or hurt in any way and only then, the censor board cleared the movie. We are only showing the culture of Spain.” Spanish-American artist sent a letter to Zoya Akhtar on behalf of PETA asking her to remove all of the scenes related to the running of the bulls. won two awards at the in the and categories. It won several other awards—mainly for Best Film and Best Director—at the , , , , , and the . Following the film’s release, Zoya Akhtar said she had an idea of making a sequel to ; she said, “You never know, I might or may not make a sequel. It all depends on the right content.” It has been reported that the actors are expected to reprise their roles in the sequel if it is officially launched. In an interview with , Roshan said the plot of the sequel could be set five or six years after the events depicted in and that the characters would be older and would have a reason to go on another trip. In August 2011, Zoya Akhtar said there were no plans for a sequel, despite requests from many viewers. After the IIFA ceremony, Farhan Akhtar said there was no necessity for a sequel. Later in 2013, in an interview with , Zoya expressed interest in writing for the sequel after completing the filming of her next project, (2015), which was released in June 2015, although in February 2019 she said, “Honestly, people want a second movie of , but I think the best franchise would either be or .”</p>