It has been seven years since the release of Dear Zindagi, a coming-of-age drama directed by Gauri Shinde. Starring Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt, the film was a path-breaker at the time for normalising therapy and has encouraged many youngsters to seek help.
The story revolves around Kaira (Alia), a budding cinematographer, who suffers from insomnia after going through a series of career and relationship downturns. She then encounters Dr Jehangir aka Jug (Shah Rukh), an unconventional thinker, who helps her gain a new perspective on life.
In an interview with Film Companion, the director opened up on the impact of Dear Zindagi, saying that many psychologists had thanked her for making the film. Gauri shared that she's always interested when someone comes up to her and says, "I love Dear Zindagi, it's my favourite film," as they are able to relate to it. She also mentioned that some have watched the film multiple times before finally seeking help.
Coming to the casting, Gauri said that she first went to Shah Rukh with 4-5 lines. “I mean I had a script ready anyway, but I narrated it to him and he said 'Okay, what do I have to do?' And that was it. He got it,” said the filmmaker, adding that Shah Rukh had his own inputs when they discussed what kind of therapist they wanted him to be.
Gauri then added that she couldn’t have imagined anyone else other than Shah Rukh playing the role of Dr Jehangir Khan. "Because of Shah Rukh Khan, people have taken therapy more seriously," she said, adding that she wanted an actor with an aura like Shah Rukh's to help convey the right message about therapy and mental health.
She also praised Alia Bhatt, noting that her character isn't always likeable or attractive. "Alia is fantastic! She doesn’t even look into the mirror as an actor and that was very impressive," said Gauri. She added that Alia didn't care about her makeup, lipstick or hairstyle which was great.
Touching upon the film's role in advancing mental health awareness, she said, "I see a lot of change, at least in India, and I'd like to believe it made some difference. There's so much more talk around the subject and many more discussions by people."
