ज़िंदगी ना मिलेगी दोबारा

No Farhan Akhtar movie has disappointed me - whether he stars in it or directs it. I am not claiming that he makes great movies - I am merely agreeing that his films are funny, intelligent and definitely entertaining.

The Hrithik-Farhan-Abhay trio have done a fabulous job. Incidentally, Katrina too is associated with a movie that makes more sense than all her prior films put-together. There are many instances in the movie where it appears that the actors are being themselves rather than actually acting - which is also the underlying theme of the movie. Be yourself and follow your heart, wherever you go, whatever you do.

Credit should be given to director Zoya Akhtar. This movie proves that her previous, Luck By Chance (2009) was not just luck. Cinematography and art direction have also been handled well. It was very refreshing to see Indian actors in casual street clothes holidaying in Spain. However, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are getting way too repetitive with their tunes, many songs give us a feeling that we have heard them before.

This is a summer movie that will give you what you seek - humor and entertainment. Wouldn't it be really fun if we could go on a nice little vacation and figure out what we want to do in life ? Wish life could be that simple.

"Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" (ZNMD) is a complex, honest, and thoroughly refreshing story about friendship, about love, about choices, about ... well ... the journey of Life (lit. 'zindagi'). Writer-Director Zoya Akhtar takes three characters we might think we've seen before ... but deftly makes them original, fresh, and unexpectedly engaging. Her intelligent script perfectly balances the very real, even painful, personal transformation of each character with moments of joy, wit, charm, and humour.

No one's Life Journey is ever quite what one plans!

Our protagonists? Three best friends since childhood: Arjun (Hrithik Roshan), now an investment broker in London; Imraan (Farhan Akhtar), an advertising copywriter in Delhi; and Kabir (Abhay Deol), a construction architect in Mumbai. Ten years after college Kabir's imminent wedding impels 'The Three Musketeers -- all for one, and one for all!' -- to finally embark on the many-times-deferred adventure challenge they'd always planned.

ZNMD explores whether three grown men can survive a 3-week road trip together *and* still remain friends *and* still be the same people.

Think you've heard similar, before? Guess again! Ms Akhtar elevates the basic 'road movie' premise into something rare and sublime: brilliant character-driven comedy never cheap but often laugh-out-loud funny, and so true to life and people each of us actually know that it genuinely moves the heart as well as the mind and funny-bone. As each ZNMD character in turn challenges his own fear, whatever personal demon that has been holding back his life, it becomes our victory, too.

See ZNMD and discover: *your* life may change, too!

Such strong story and plot would be lost, without great acting.

Farhan Akhtar just gets better and better, as an actor, every time out of the gate. Already one of India's best young directors, his deceptively brash but sensitive and layered acting in ZNMD is quiet excellence ... and deliciously funny.

Abhay Deol is not exciting, but I like his potential. A good foil for the other two.

However the real revelation in ZNMD is, most surprisingly, he whom we might have *thought* most familiar. Hrithik Roshan we see so often in heavy dramatic and/or demanding multi-part roles -- because, let's face it, he's that rare actor who CAN do them, and do them brilliantly well -- that it's easy to forget just how plain damn funny and versatile he can be. Casting one of the world's more notorious compulsive workaholics as, well, a compulsive workaholic? Absolute genius!

On the distaff side ... Katrina Kaif. Wow! Where did this performance come from? She's always been beautiful, of course, but in ZNMD for the first time she shows subtlety and depth as an actress. Easily, her very best work to date.

Cannot finish without special mention of the fantastic music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, long my favourite Hindi film composers. Their ZNMD soundtrack perfectly backdrops the film's emotional journey. Irresistibly hummable music spans the full range of moods and emotions, much like our three main characters: everything from amusingly lighthearted ('Senorita', sung by Mssrs Roshan, Akhtar, & Deol) to cool and modern ('Ik Junoon -- Paint It Red') to reflective ('Der Lagi Lakin') and even unabashedly romantic ('Khaabon Ke Parinday').

But the rocking 'Dil Dhadakne Do' seems to capture the very Joy of Living ... and that is the ultimate spirit of Zoya Akhtar's ZNMD.

Perfect summer movie! 10/10

Best film I've seen yet from anywhere in the world, thus far in 2011.

Just saw Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.. beautiful,adventurous,funny​ ,i m a big Hrithik fan who excels the movie,all the characters are excellent.

Three young men take a holiday that changes their lives forever. Kabir (Abhay Deol) is engaged to Natasha (Kalki). Kabir decides to go on an extended bachelor party, before he gets married. A 3-week road trip with Imraan (Farhan Akhtar) and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan), his two best friends since school. The only problem is Arjun is too tied up with work. After much emotional blackmail and cajoling, the boys set off on a journey they were meant to take four years ago. A fantasy holiday they had planned to take after college, which never happened. A road trip where each one gets to do the ultimate sport of his choice and the other two just have to do it with him. Whether they want to or not!

STRAIGHT INTO FAVOURITES..:):) Awesome work by Zoya..:) HR,Farhan,Abhay mass...Hrithik and Katrina adds spice to the romantic scenes in the movie..Farhan Akhtar shows a refreshing flair for comedy and has impeccable comic timing...Kalki Koechlin is excellent in her bitchy role of a possessive girlfriend. Naseeruddin Shah is impressive in his cameo. ..superb Love + friendship movie..don't miss..:)

I have seen the film this morning and all the efforts put in are worth the movie. As expected, this is a good movie about grown up men and their emotional problems, which is naturally expected from the team that gave us Dil Chahta Hai and Rock On.

A group of three friends (Hrithik, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar) embark on a road trip in Spain as a part of a bachelor party for Abhay Deol, who is getting married to Kalki, and confused. Hritik and Farhan have their own personal issues too.

The movie is a joy ride with subtle comedy. Farhan Akhtar's comic timing is impeccable. The comedy that was written just out of a ladies hand bag is too good.

The wafer thin story line is beautifully put on screen with a superb screenplay. The performances are nothing less than your expectations with Hritik in the ensemble. Deepti Naval and Naseeruddin Shah add up to the list of artists.

The movie portrays very heavy topics like marriage, love and Work. Yet, due to the sublime comedy you are never bored. I guess that is a mark of excellent script.

Here is one line I want to pick up from this movie. Kalki says this line to Abhay Deol, her fiancé. "You enjoy your bachelor trip. Aakhir shaadi ke baad you wouldn't feel like going around with your friends any more." And you should see the expressions on the faces of the three guys...

And yes, La Tomatina festival, Spainish beaches, and Katrina Kaif were a treat to watch.

Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, through the lives of three friends, presents the world of contemporary Indian youth, who are successful, affluent yuppies. They just enjoy life because financially they have the means to do it. In mood and execution the film is very modern, light, yet it entails complex relationships in family and between friends. Essentially, in this regard, it has an uncanny resemblance to Dil Chahta Hai, though it's an altogether different film and not quite on that level. The movie is relatively realistic, but it is also emotional and, surprisingly enough, quite poetic. The dialogue by Farhan Akhtar is for the most part very good.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is captivating, interesting and entertaining, and it captures the beauty of Spain with great mastery. At times this presentation is too perfect, but then it's a movie so that's what audiences want to see. It is beautifully shot, with excellent cinematography working in its favour. The background score is very good, and the songs are very fun and catchy. All these aspects create a lyrical tone that is quite uplifting to watch. Some scenes are just amazingly captured. The one when the guys get out of the water after diving, is pure magic. So is the one which shows them skydiving.

Having said all that, the film is far from flawless. While the main moral of the story, that life is only once and should be lived to the fullest, is successfully conveyed, generally speaking, but then at times it becomes over-repetitive and saccharine. Towards the second half, in particular the film tries too hard to be inspiring and feels too larger-than-life, almost to the point of being preachy. The ending is one such instance. Above all, the friendship between the three leads, while generally done decently, often lacks the natural, understated camaraderie it requires (not because they fight, but in spite of it). I don't know what exactly it is, but something is missing there and feels quite forced and banal.

Hrithik Roshan finally works as part of an ensemble cast where he doesn't have to carry a film all alone. He plays an imperfect man who grows as a character, and he does it well. Farhan Akhtar is for the first time convincing and he's natural and enjoyable in a meaty role. Abhay Deol, as the flamboyant, playful guy who's unsure of whether he does or does not want to marry yet, is a bit of a disappointment. Deol is according to me the best actor of the three, based on what I've seen before, but in this film his character often lets him down--a sad case of weak writing--as it lacks true complexity.

I never thought I'd say that, but Katrina Kaif is surprisingly effective and natural, and her part is actually very well etched out in the script. Laila is lovely, kind, radiant and, probably more importantly, is of mixed ethnicity, which makes her accent justifiable and credible in this film. This may be the benefit, as it eases the work for Kaif, who, instead of focusing on her accent and Hindi line delivery (which was anyway poor), can for one concentrate on the character. She is never great, but she is good. Kalki is better in a smaller part. Speaking of small parts, Naseeruddin Shah and Deepti Naval, in just two brief scenes each, shine.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara does partially bring forth another step in mainstream Hindi cinema's growth and departure from popular convention. It is thoroughly enjoyable, it has both style and substance, and though in my opinion it is nowhere an extraordinary film and is far from being really great, it is still a worthy and appreciable effort about living life to the fullest and cherishing every moment of it. Worth watching.