"Genius wo nhi hota jiske pass har sawal ka jawab ho, Genius wo hota hai jiske pass har sawal tak pahuchne ka patience ho." This beautiful piece of life advice was presented in the movie 'Dear Zindagi' , which was released in 2016, directed and written by Gauri Shinde. Dear Zindagi is the rare brand of cinema that makes us cry and laugh all at once. The plot revolves around a budding cinematographer who is discontented with her life and trying to come to terms with herself. She meets a free spirited psychologist Dr. Jehangir, played by Sharukh Khan, who helps her gain a new perspective on her life and lay her innermost demons at rest.

This movie is all about Kaira, played by Alia Bhatt, and her tryst with emotional therapy. The whole film is a journey within and with this character as she discovers herself. The movie begins when Kaira , for some reason, had to take a sabbatical from work and move back to his parents house in Goa. This is where she finds out who she really is with the help of a therapist, Dr Jehangir. At one point in the film, someone asks Kaira "itni complicated kyun ho tum". This complication is the heartbeat of the film. Kaira is willfully prickly, irrational and even sometimes unlikeable. She is a depressed, damaged and insomniac who finds solace in a few good friends.

The writer Gauri Shinde seems to be close to the kind of themes she tackled in her first film. But here she abandons all the cinematic gimmicks to tell a straight and genuinely real tale of a girl struggling with her emotions. The movie got its life from Alia Bhatt's knock out performance. Alia has the spontaneity nuances of a seasoned professional. She brings a likeable edge to her role. Fiercely independent and equally passionate, her portrayal of Kaira is pure firebrand.

This movie is a great attempt in sensitizing people to mental illness and to seek professional help, a subject which is still ridiculously taboo in our country. Kaira was depressed and damaged due to her childhood traumas, for which she couldn't be at peace with her present life. She constantly had troubles with her relationships , be it with her significant others or family members. Back when she was a little kid, her parents left her with her grandparents and moved abroad in search of better job opportunities. This left a deep impact on Kaira as she was bereft from her parents. When she finally found solace with her grandparents, her parents were back with his little brother, to take her with them. This was another blow for Kaira which shaped her personality. She always had a sour relationship with her parents and her childhood memories haunted her. Therefore, she developed a fear of abandonment. Presumably, because of this she leaves anyone who comes to her life because she doesn't want to go through the same situation again. She found Dr. Jahangir when she was lost within her darkness. Dr Jehangir who was a psychologist, had a very unconventional way of treatment. He helps Kaira to find her answers and gain a new perspective. She takes sessions from his to deal with her insomnia and uses his ways to understand life. The sessions of Dr Jahangir really work and she gets free from her insomnia. Kaira says bye to her fears and says ‘hi’ to her life. Their sessions get finished and Kaira finally completes her own direction short film by giving a word of thanks to Dr Jahangir Khan.

This film has so many lessons of life which can lead one from dissatisfaction to satisfaction and it has a beautiful dialogue as well. “We often choose difficult ways in life because we think that choosing the difficult way is the best option to find the important things. But sometimes, choosing the easy way becomes the best option especially, when we are not ready to face that difficulty”. The movie also throws light on the idea that even during the darkest times there is always a ray of hope. Kaira is shown as a girl who is suffering from mental illness and constantly messing up her relationships. But she was also a passionate girl who had the courage to follow her dreams, which is evident as she took an unconventional career. Despite being in utter pain and suffering she was kind at heart which is evident with the relation she had with her maid. She was always respectful and loving towards her. Despite all hardships she finally succeeded in life and finally came into a cordial relationship with her family. She finally learned to let go of her past and invest in her present to create a beautiful future. This movie also shows that every problem has a root cause which needs to be addressed. A despicable person is also the one who is suffering the most. All they need is love and support to come out of their darkness.

.    .    .