Zindaggi Rocks - Movie Review

By: Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM
Friday, October 06, 2006
Noble intentions don't necessarily translate into engrossing entertainers. Sometimes, a thought-provoking idea doesn't reach the winning post due to the writer's inefficiency to narrate a poignant tale. That's the problem with Zindaggi Rocks.

The concept of a mother sacrificing her life for her child can be identified by every parent across the globe. It's a universal theme. But Tanuja Chandra, the director, gets minimal support from Tanuja Chandra, the writer, in narrating a moving story.

Yes, the penultimate reels of Zindaggi Rocks do try to salvage the show, but the journey from start to end is not captivating enough. The cons outweigh and outnumber the pros in this case!

Zindaggi Rocks revolves around Dr. Suraj [Shiney Ahuja], the shy, cynical workaholic doctor and Kria [Sushmita Sen], a pop singer.

Suraj meets Kria in the hospital. She's got a gash on her arm, which needs to be looked into immediately. Kria senses that something is amiss in Suraj's life and decides to take him on a date. Suraj agrees reluctantly!

Suraj is introduced to Kria's mad family: A stern mother and a fun-loving aunt [Moushumi Chatterjee in a dual role], cousin Joy [Kim Sharma] and Kria's adopted son Dhruv [Julian]. Kria and Suraj are drawn to each other. But there's a twist in the tale: Dhruv has a hole in his heart and needs a heart transplant.

The problem with Zindaggi Rocks clearly lies in its screenplay. Although the film starts off well -- the two extremes [Sush, Shiney] getting attracted to each other -- the sequence of events thereafter don't have the power to sustain interest. Basic things like names of the characters confuse the viewer no end. Shiney is sometimes referred to as Suraj and at times, Rihan. Even the child is at places called Dhruv and in some scenes, Romi.

Okay, it's a trivial issue. But the moment the child faints during the intermission point, the viewer is told that he is a blue baby [with a hole in the heart]. The next few sequences clearly give an impression of what's cooking in Sush's mind. It doesn't take time to guess that the mother [Sush] is going to sacrifice her life to save her adopted son. But while the viewer can fathom what's happening, Shiney doesn't. Either he can't read her mind or he doesn't want to!

Also, the entire track of Shiney approaching a senior citizen [one Firoz Panthaki] for a heart transplant, who in turns informs the cops of Shiney's constant phone calls, looks slipshod. This unwanted track only adds to the length of the film. Even the track involving Kim Sharma and her boyfriend appears half-baked. The last few minutes are the best part of the enterprise, but it's too late to salvage the enterprise by then.

Emotions play a strong role in a film that talks of the mother-son bonding, but the emotions in Zindaggi Rocks are superficial and at times, fake. Especially the bonding between the child and Sushmita's family. You don't feel the pain primarily because the writing lacks moments that would make you moist-eyed.

Tanuja Chandra's execution isn't faulty, but her screenplay is. Anu Malik's music is passable, with a couple of lilting tracks ['Meri Dhoop Hai Tu' and 'Humko Chhoone Paas Aayiye']. Amirr Sayed's cinematography is first-rate. Also, the film bears an upmarket look all through.

Sush tries hard to infuse life in her character. She is effective at places, but tends to get theatrical at times. Shiney does a decent job, although the screenplay gives him little scope to go beyond a set of expressions. Moushumi Chatterjee is okay as the mother, but hams as the twin-sister. The get-up also doesn't suit her age. Kim Sharma is wasted. The child artist, Julian, is wonderful. Seema Biswas, as the cop, is alright. Ravi Gosain gets no scope.

On the whole, Zindaggi Rocks just doesn't rock. At the box-office, it's bound to go unnoticed.

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