Dear Zindagi

takes on a subject that is rarely explored in Bollywood cinema: mental health and, by extension, the benefits of therapy. By taking a light approach and populating the movie with big names like Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt, it attempts to break the taboo associated with the subject.

While this works to a certain extent – thanks in particular to Shah Rukh’s warm, engaging turn as a psychiatrist – the movie takes much too long to get to its main point. The first half, which introduces us to Kaira (Alia), gets bogged down in the details of her lives and romances.

Alia is effective in portraying an unusually complex character, but the script doesn’t manage to create enough sympathy for the deeper issues she is struggling with.

The movie also oversimplifies therapy and mental health, resorting to pop psychology and feel-good philosophies instead of depicting realistic challenges of the process.

Strong performances and an unusual theme make Dear Zindagi a decent watch, but the movie would have greatly benefitted from more depth. –