Yeh Saali Zindagi

After very long gap there was finally a movie I wanted to watch in theater. There were three reasons, it starrs irfan khan in the lead (he rarely disappoints), it is directed by shudhir mishra (who has made movies like is raat ki subah nahi and hajaron khwahishen aisi) and last but not the least in the trailer I heard a man hit by a bullet on the verge of getting unconscious say, "sala aise mar gaya to log hasenge ki chutiya pyar ke liye mar gaya aur laundiya bhi nahi mili."

So there I was watching the movie. As the movie starts after a super emotional performance by disabled kids on national anthem, I see irfan hurt, chitrangada supporting him and consoling him that everything will be alright, I hear saurabh shukla's voice in the background saying, "ishq aur goli me koi farak nahi hota, dono seene me chhed karne ke liye chalte hain." I felt like clapping. At that very moment I knew I am not going to be disappointed. I was already expecting wonderful acting and fine direction, now I knew I was going to be treated with some brilliant dialogues. (as I have written this it got me thinking, was I expecting a haasil? May be.) if any of you have not seen haasil (watch it right away without fail) and don't know how much I admired that movie, you would not understand how big that expectation is to match.

Lets not drag and get back to YSZ. After the impactful first scene I have explained earlier, the movie goes into flashback, something you often see in master of the craft Martin Scorsese's movies. Next scene you see Irfan hanging onto the balcony of his apartment trying to call someone. Another brilliant scene which sets the tone of the film. Then starts the roller coaster ride called Yeh Saali Zindagi. The movie is about how you do not have any control over life (as the title song says) and it take it's own twists and turns irrespective of all your planning. It becomes even more complicated, when you are in love. Even more complicated when you are dealing with underworld, corrupt politicians and policemen. Adding to the complication is loads of black money stacked in some bank account overseas. Movie moves similar to what we have seen in the movies made by a guy named Guy (yes, that guy). :D

Leading the pack of very fine actors is Irfan Khan, very well supported by a brilliant cast the includes Shushant Singh, Chintrangada Singh, Yashpal Sharma, Prashant Narayanan, Sourabh Shukla, Arunoday Singh and Aditi Rao (she looks superb). Even the smallest of characters have been played by wonderful actors. Dialogues are the highlight of the movie, they are sharp, witty and to the point. Background score supports the flow of the movie and no songs are forced into the screenplay. Once I was out of the theater I did not remember exact details of many scenes and dialogs. That's because there were so many brilliant scenes and dialogs. Need the dvd. :)

In the end I would suggest it's a well made brilliant movie and will recommend it to all who do not have problem with using abusive words in their conversations or hearing them in others' conversations.