By Benjamin Emmers
This is the first edition of Ben’s Bollywood Corner. As a European man, I have not had much experience with Bollywood or other Indian Language Cinema. Thus far, I have only seen three Bollywood films, Dangal (2016), Three Idiots (2009), and Dilwale (2015). Through this series, I will be watching Bollywood films that have been suggested to me, and I will talk about what they were like. Join me as I discover the wonderful world of Indian Cinema!
To begin this series, I watched Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The title of this film roughly translates to “You Only Live Once”. At first glance, it’s a typical road trip film following three old school friends on a bachelor trip. However, as the film progresses, it shifts from a simple road trip comedy to a more intense (but still humorous) drama, exploring the problems faced by the three main characters.
The film stars Abhay Deol as the bachelor, who is planning this trip with his two former best friends. Right from the first scene, we are told that one of the three friends has not seen the other two for years due to a personal incident that split the group apart. The two friends contrast one another immensely. One is an immature prankster played by Farhan Akhar and the other is a workaholic stockbroker played by Hrithik Roshan. The bachelor is the calmest of the three main characters. He’s the one who has his life together, or at least for the first half of the film.
A vast majority of the film takes place in the picturesque Spanish Countryside. For the first hour of the film, we follow the three friends as they meet up and simply drive around. The film is very humorous, with the main joke being the vast contrast between the three. We see only one argument, in which we learn why the group split apart all those years ago.
But after going on a breathtaking scuba-diving adventure, the film slowly begins to change its style. The film focuses on the three main issues faced by the main characters. First Arjun (the stockbroker) falls in love and begins to change his worldview. For the next half hour, the film is essentially a romantic film with Arjun as the main character. The fiancé of the bachelor also makes an entrance during this time when she seems to not trust the bachelor, as she believes that he is in love with Arjun’s love interest. This leads to some hilarious drama and miscommunications.
The rest of the film simply explores how the characters’ ‘perfect’ lives are not actually what they actually desire. Along with the exploration of the characters’ lives, we still get two fun dance and skydiving scenes with a comedic tone. This is especially evident in the final scene of the film. As the three characters are running in the San Fermi festival, they yell about what they truly want to do with their lives. This represents the overall main message of the film.
While the genre of this film may change often its theme always remains consistent, reminding audiences that it is alright to reject the traditional concepts of money or marriage and instead focus on what you truly want. As the title states once more, you only live once. Hence, the friendship between the three friends is important as they remind and encourage each other to achieve what their heart desires.
Overall I would give this film a 6.5 out of 10. While the relationship between the three friends is well-written, its message lacks originality. Despite the film’s display of its theme, it does not go very far with it.
I would recommend this film to those who do not want to watch a stereotypical Bollywood film. It still has romantic cliches and some musical elements, but its portrayal of friendship makes it a fun watch for all. This film is a good introduction for those who have never seen a foreign language film, as it was likely intended to cater to global audiences as seen from its partially English dialogue and foreign setting.
Thank you for reading the first edition of Ben’s Bollywood corner. If you have any film recommendations or feedback please email me at [email protected].