Yaaay! First look and a release date! But no title. And, more interesting (to me), Salman tweeted the first look, not Shahrukh. They did something similar with the Dangal first look, and I think also Sultan?
Global figures are out for Dear Zindagi! Yaaaay! And it did best in North America! Which has no significance whatsoever because North America had an extra 2 days in the weekend! And on the other hand, had a lot of competition here! But being a hit in Australia, now THAT is significant! (as always, the figures come from Rentracks courtesy of Bollywoodhungama)
This is the post I put up exactly a year ago, when the only people reading this blog were…me (I started posting on my Facebook page so at least my parents would read it a couple days later). I have gotten much more technically competent since then. So I am updating it and re-posting it. With notes added from “future me” in brackets.
First, just like I did for ADHM, I put up a SPOILER review for DZ first so people who have seen the movie have a place to discuss it. So please, no spoilers in the comments here! And no specific questions like “what did you think it meant when the aliens landed and it turned into a gritty post-apocalyptic drama?” here either. This is the place for people who haven’t yet seen the movie to hang out and learn about it. Everyone else, go hang out here.
Yes, I AM going to spoil the whole movie! I feel terrible about this, considering that Shahrukh was nice enough to release it 2 days early in America so I could see it before leaving for Thanksgiving. But on the other hand, a bunch of other people in America also saw it today, and we should have a place to discuss it. And there are those people (sometimes I am one of them) who want to know how a movie ends before they even decide to see it. But if you are choosing between seeing the movie and reading this post, SEE THE MOVIE!!! It’s really really good.
Saved the best (and also most obvious) for last! When you talk about Shahrukh supporting and encouraging and teaching young women, it’s all about Chak De, India. But, why is he doing it? Both his character in the film Chak De, and in real life by taking this role opposite Alia in Dear Zindagi?
Om Shanti Om! Not the most obvious comparison for Dear Zindagi. But I’m thinking specifically of the second half, and the way Shahrukh interacts with Deepika, changing her into a stronger and deeper person. And the way that interacts with the first half, where it is the other way around.
I somehow missed this one. Maybe nobody tweeted it? Hardly seems worth posting, seeing as the actual movie is coming out shortly. But Shahrukh is so cute! I just have to share!
My second Anushka movie of the week! This time it is NOT a May-December romance. Or I guess it is a May romance but not a December romance? It’s unrequited is what I am saying. And I have to kind of wonder if there is going to be something similar in Dear Zindagi, if only because, how could Alia NOT fall in love with Shahrukh after spending time talking to him? How can anyone?
No young women really in his orbit in this one, but that’s part of what I find so interesting. That just 16 years ago, it was all about the male generations handing things down to each other (Amitabh to Shahrukh to Jugal Hansraj/Uday Chopra/Jimmy Shergill). And now we are in a space where the future is a young woman.
This isn’t strange, right? It’s not like I am putting up photos of my own father and saying they are attractive. I am just putting up photos of other fathers with their children.
I find this an interesting one to think about. Because Shahrukh manages to be in a May-December romance, in which the power is balanced between both parties. Very hard to do, often in the fictional version of these relationships, the young woman is supposed to “control” the man with his desire for her, or the man is so much wiser that she obeys him in every way. But Rab Ne is different.
King Uncle is a silly silly not very good movie. Did I mention silly? But it is notable for building an entire film around a female child character. Children based movies are rare enough in Indian film, but female child based films are even rarer.
Woot! Dear Zindagi is coming out in a week! Because Shahrukh loves me and knows I am out of town over Thanksgiving and therefore he is releasing it 2 days early in America, just for me! In return, as always, I am celebrating a little Shahrukh week before the release (if you somehow missed the Fan and Sultan celebrations, what happens is before a Khan release, I do a series of posts discussing earlier films by the lead in terms of what they might have in common with the upcoming one)
If you care about the censor board’s opinion, they like Dear Zindagi. Personally, I don’t care at all, but I am kind of surprised by the extreme level of support they are giving it! Oh, and there’s also a new teaser. Oh, and the full album just came out! 7 days before the movie release. And no Ali Zafar songs in sight.
Okay, I need to hurry through this to be finished by Shahrukh Week, starting on Wednesday (this time-posts on Shahrukh movies in which he mentors young women!). I am all the way past the Interval of ADHM, and my posts are slowly increasing in length, so I think I should be able to finish this thing off soon.
I want to spend another day listening to lament songs and distracting myself by doing work-work, like reconciling the office bank statement. But Shahrukh is dragging me out of it. I can’t NOT post about a new Dear Zindagi trailer.
I checked twitter this morning, and was rewarded with wonderful news! And yet another sign that Shahrukh really does care about me!
Internet Piracy for the win!!!! Stupid Hotstar.com, the legal website, won’t accept payment from outside India, even using a credit card. So I hunted and googled and got ten minutes into one video that was pulled literally as I was watching it, and finally a found a deep dark place that had a high quality version available which lasted long enough for me to see the whole show.
You know, I saw a thing somewhere else that said Gauri and Suhana were hosting it, which sounded really cute, like little Suhana and her Mom spending time together planning the party, and then telling Shahrukh the party came from both of them. But now the pictures are coming out, and I think it might be slightly different. But still cute!
Don’t panic, he still doesn’t use the buttons. And one of them is white, so a little see-through. It’s all good.
He tweeted something! Just to ME! Okay, just to everyone who love him and is always there for him. Including ME! Because I made him a cake.
He already gave us a Dear Zindagi trailer, which was wonderful, but just to make sure we fully celebrate, he gave us another video as well!
Yaaaaaaay! A full length song trailer!!!! It looks nice. And I kind of wonder if we are only getting this, a song trailer for a song already released, because of the behind the scenes drama.
dontcallitbollywood 