Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Encyclopedia
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a 2011 Bollywood
coming-of-age film
, directed by Zoya Akhtar
and produced by Farhan Akhtar
and Ritesh Sidhwani
of Excel Entertainment
. The film features an ensemble cast
including Hrithik Roshan
as Arjun, Abhay Deol
as Kabir and Farhan Akhtar as Imraan. It also stars Katrina Kaif
as Laila, Kalki Koechlin
as Natasha, and Ariadna Cabrol
as Nuria along with Naseeruddin Shah
as Imraan's father. Initially expected to hit theatres on 27 May 2011, the release of the film was pushed back to 24 June, and once again to 15 July due to technical glitches in post-production. Made on a budget of 55 crore, the film was shot at various locations including Spain, London, India and Morocco.
The story follows three friends - Arjun, Imraan and Kabir who have been inseparable since their childhood. They set off to Spain on a bachelor trip and meet Laila, who falls in love with Arjun and helps him overcome his problem of Workaholism
. In the meantime, a lot of misunderstanding enters between Kabir and his fiancée. After solving the problem, the three friends go to various places in the country, with each one choosing a sport to finish and what happens afterwards forms the rest of the story.
The music and score is composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy with lyrics by Javed Akhtar
. The film had a wide release in 1800 screens and was a commercial success, along with being well received from critics.
) proposing to Natasha (Kalki Koechlin
). The families meet at their engagement party where Natasha learns that Kabir is planning a three-week-long bachelor road trip to Spain
with his high school friends Imraan (Farhan Akhtar
) and Arjun(Hrithik Roshan
). Kabir explains that the three men have a long-standing pact, and that during the road trip, each one would pick an adventure sport for the trio to try together. However, Arjun, a workaholic obsessed with making money, is reluctant to take part in the trip. It is revealed that Arjun’s ex-girlfriend had left him due to his obsession with work. Imraan has an additional personal agenda on the trip – to find his biological father Salman Habib (Naseeruddin Shah
), an artist in Spain.
The trio finally set off to Spain, where they plan to visit the Costa Brava
, Seville
and Pamplona
. They meet Laila (Katrina Kaif
), a British-Indian woman, and Imraan flirts with her, which makes Arjun jealous. Kabir reveals that he has chosen deep sea diving as their first adventure sport, and they find out that Laila is their diving instructor. Arjun, who can't swim and is mortally afraid of water, is helped by Laila to overcome his fears. He soon begins to fall in love with her. They attend Buñol
the La Tomatina festival with Laila, where they meet Nuria (Ariadna Cabrol
), who falls for Imraan. Meanwhile, Natasha, who has grown suspicious of Kabir's involvement with Laila, surprises Kabir by crashing his bachelor party trip. Imraan spends time with Nuria and Arjun with Laila. After the boys leave, Laila realizes she has fallen in love with Arjun and chases them until she catches up. She and Arjun express their feelings for each other with a passionate kiss.
Arjun, Imraan and Kabir visit Seville
for sky diving, as per Arjun's choice. Now it is Imraan who has to overcome his fear of heights and learn to let go of his fear. After their skydiving adventures, the three men go to a bar. There, they get into a fight with a stranger on whom they tried to pull a prank, and end up in jail. Salman, Imraan's father, bails them out, and takes them to his home. In his conversation with Imraan, Salman reveals that he never wanted a settled life and never wanted kids, as opposed to Imraan's mother. Kabir, meanwhile, admits to Arjun and Imraan that he is not ready for marriage, but is reluctant to call off the wedding as it might break Natasha's heart.
The trio set on their final adventure, by far the most dangerous one: taking part in the bull run at Pamplona
. Imraan suggests they create a new pact—to keep their promises if they return alive. Imraan vows to get his poetry published, Arjun vows to visit Morocco
with Laila, and Kabir vows to tell Natasha that he is not ready for the marriage yet. At the end, the friends have a renewed sense of their relationships with each other, with others they know, and most importantly, with themselves.
As the credits roll, Imraan, Kabir, Nuria and Natasha are shown to be attending the wedding of Arjun and Laila in Morocco
, where it is revealed that Kabir and Natasha didn't get married.
incorporated real life observations, and had specially written the character of Imraan for her brother Farhan Akhtar
who also wrote the dialogues for the film and decided to have Javed Akhtar
's poetry as voice-over
for him as they felt the poetry adds depth to the character, who is also a closet poet, and to lend voice to their feelings. The first choice for the location for principal filming was Mexico
, but was later changed to Spain since the climax features running with the bulls, and Zoya wanted a country that blended history, culture and sports. The release date of the film was rescheduled trice since the editor of the movie, Chandan Arora
fell ill and they had to start editing from scratch.
, who is also the brother of Zoya and one the lead actors of her debut film Luck By Chance
, was the first actor to be cast in the film, playing one of the three main characters in the movie. Initially, Imran Khan
and Ranbir Kapoor
were rumored to play the other two leads, but they declined because they wished to star together in their own production. Hrithik Roshan
and Abhay Deol
were confirmed to play the two leads, as they liked the script. The full cast of the film was confirmed by April 2010.
The principal shooting of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara which began in June 2010, took place in Barcelona
, Pamplona
, Buñol
, Andalucia in Spain, Egypt
and Mumbai
in India. Cinematographer
Carlos Catalan, who worked with Zoya in Luck By Chance
, wanted all three actors to appear tanned as he "didn't want everything glossed over" and wanted to keep it as realistic as possible.
The introduction scenes of Katrina was shot on a nude beach
, where they had to specifically request people to stay out of the frame as the film would face objection from censor board in India. The La Tomatina festival of Buñol
was re-created for the shoot of the song "Ik Junoon
". Almost sixteen tons on tomatoes worth 1 crore were used for the shoot and they were flown in from Portugal. The filming of the song "Señorita
", took place in Alájar
, a town located in the province of Huelva
. The crew warned the locals of the loud sound of the song, as the shooting was about to take place at night. In the third day of shooting, the locals came dressed up in costumes, and the mayor of Alájar herself joined them for the shoot. The climax of the film was shot at Pamplona
, which features the Encierro
. Final schedules were filmed at Vashi
and Alibag
in Mumbai on December 2010.
composed the soundtrack album for the film, their third collaboration with Akhtar after Rock On!!
, while the lyrics are penned by Javed Akhtar
. For the vocals of the flamenco song "Señorita
", the trio roped in Maria del Mar Fernández
, a Spanish flamenco singer, who made her film singing debut with the film. The song also marked the singing debut of Abhay Deol
, who rendered the song along with the other two leads, Hrithik Roshan
and Farhan Akhtar
. They did not inform the actors about the recording, instead told them that it was a rehearsal to make them comfortable, and used a good part of it since it sounded good.
tied up with Aircel
to make the promos of the film available on mobile and Internet. The trailer got over 55 million views within 48 hours of its release. Two more promos of the movie were released on 27 May, including promo of the song Ik Junoon, followed by the promo of another song Senorita
. The music launch and promotion event took place at Nirmal Lifestyle, Mulund, Mumbai. The next week saw the release of the promos of Khaabon Kay Parinday and Dil Dhadakne Do. Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani
visited Facebook India
to promote the movie. A press conference was held on 1 July at Chandigarh
for promoting the movie. Two dialogue promos of the movie were released on 3 July. The cast and crew embarked on a road trip from Mumbai to Delhi on 7 July via Surat
, Vadodra, Ahmedabad
, Udaipur
, Ajmer
and Jaipur
before culminating at Delhi with a concert at Gurgaon
. It is believed that British Auto manufacturer Land Rover
which is now owned by Tata Motors
sponsored the Land Rover Discovery
driven by star cast during the road trip.
The movie also had tie ups with Mountain Dew
, Gillette, ING Vysya Bank
where branded promos were released.
, on 16 July, the birthday of Katrina Kaif
. The party was attended by several, including Karan Johar
, Karishma Kapoor, Arjun Rampal
, Malaika Arora, Ayan Mukerji, Amrita Arora
, and Abhishek Kapoor
, besides the film's cast and crew themselves. Shiv Sena
, however, criticized the event, as it was held three days post the Mumbai blasts.
and opened well in the multiplexes, as the occupancy ranged from 70 to 100 percent, despite receiving average opening in the single screens except in the metro cities. The film grossed in its opening three-day weekend, including during its first day, and a net total of by the end of third day. In ten days of worldwide release, it grossed . In 17 days, it grossed over in India. With no significant competition other than Singham, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara remained #2 at the box office for 4 weeks after its release. It was one of the highest grossing Bollywood films of 2011 both in India and internationally. The film was declared a super-hit in both India and Overseas territories.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara grossed overseas in three days, making it the biggest opening for an Indian film in 2011 at the time. The film featured in UK and U.S. top twenty lists. Its three highest-grossing markets after India were, U.S. ($2 million), UK ($0.92 million), Australia ($0.34 million), as of 27 July 2011.
The film grossed worldwide, surpassing Hrithik
's Dhoom 2
in the worldwide gross, becoming the ninth highest worldwide grosser of all time for a Bollywood
film.
called Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara "a beautifully scripted journey of catharsis" and praised director Zoya Akhtar for being "fearless in the way she shoots". In his review for Hindustan Times
, Mayank Shekhar praised the film as "a game-changer for Hindi films since Dil Chahta Hai
", and wrote "What you take home are memorable, amusing moments of three truly adventurous amigos we've all grown up with. And will continue to." Shivesh Kumar of IndiaWeekly awarded the movie 4 out of 5 stars. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama
gave the film three and a half stars, calling it a film for mature and cinema-literate audience. Nikhat Kazmi
of The Times of India
gave the movie three and a half stars and lauded the lead performances of the film, "If Abhay is the anchor of the group, Farhan's funster role is full of beans and Hrithik's metamorphosis from uptight, money-minded stock broker to carefree vagabond is a class act."
S Chatterjee of NDTV
, whilst believed the philosophy the film is quite old, praised Zoya Akhtar's direction stating "Zoya Akhtar, by investing the tale with a delightful lightness of touch and dollops of gentle wit, brings a degree of freshness to bear upon the plot." NDTV later awarded the cast the NDTV Indian of the Year
's "NDTV Entertainer of the Year" award. Shaikh Ayaz of Rediff feels Zoya Akhtar has put together a familiar plot but the film's fresh energy is entertaining. He writes, "Akhtar's invigorating characters pump in fresh energy into a film that could have been strictly mediocre". Kaveree Bamzai of India Today
, too was full of praise for Akhtar's direction and said "By the time I finished watching Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara I was convinced that no one can make a romance as beautifully as a woman."
Film critic Subhash K Jha felt that Akhtar managed to "suck the viewers into the beauty of the moment, not giving us any reason to believe that life's most precious truths are swathed in squalour." Blessy Chettiar of DNA India, noted the music of the film and Farhan Akhtar
's acting as highlights of the film. "For all this, the storywriters use heavy doses of symbolism. Deep-sea diving at Costa Brava, sky-diving in Sevilla and the San Fermin bull run in Pamplona, not to forget the Tomatina festival in Bunyol, where Arjun finally lets go. Fears are drowned, let open in the sky and finally at the mercy of raging bulls", he writes. Glamsham awarded the film four out of five stars, calling it "an adventure ride, full of life." Rajeev Masand
of CNN-IBN stated, "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara takes the light-hearted tone of a fun, all-boys road trip through Spain to give you a deep and heartfelt message on why we should live life by seizing the moment and following our hearts". He also praised the performance of the cast, highlighting it as one of the main positives of the film, while pointing out that the film's length "sucks some fun of out of the ride". Raja Sen of Rediff holds that the film "tried too hard to be cool."
Ryan Gilbey of Guardian
was broadly positive about the film, "It's still playing to full houses, and you can see why. Slick it may be. But tourist board employees representing the various Spanish cities flattered in the movie are not the only ones who will come out grinning.", though he found the movie "stubbornly un-macho" for a buddy film. The National
reviewer Kaleem Aftab, in his four star review, noted "Throwing together road trip, romcom and buddy-buddy action in a single picture may sound like an ill-conceived masala mash-up, but like any good dish, the ingredients are blended together with affection to create one of the best feel-good movies of the year."
objected the bull run scene in the film and sought support from fans to ban the film in their Twitter
page. Speaking on the issue, the chief functionary of PETA, Poorva Joshipura said: "We will now be contacting the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Central Board of Film Certification to take action." The film's producer Ritesh Sidhwani
, retorted by saying: "We had submitted all the papers to the Animal Welfare Board India that stated that none of the animals were injured or hurt in any way and only then, the censor board cleared the movie. We are only showing the culture of Spain."
of the film was released on September 26, 2011. It is available in Dolby Digital 5.1
and Stereo
formats with English
and Arabic
subtitles.
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
coming-of-age film
Coming-of-age film
Coming-of-age film is a film genre which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood. Personal growth and change is an important characteristic of this genre, which relies on dialogue and emotional responses, rather than action. The main character is...
, directed by Zoya Akhtar
Zoya Akhtar
Zoya Akhtar is a contemporary Indian film director. She made her debut as director with critically acclaimed Luck By Chance.-Personal life:Zoya Akhtar was born on January 9, 1974 in Bombay...
and produced by Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar is an Indian filmmaker, script writer, actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer in Hindi cinema and a television host.His directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi...
and Ritesh Sidhwani
Ritesh Sidhwani
Ritesh Sidhwani is a Bollywood film producer, who founded a film production house under the banner of Excel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd...
of Excel Entertainment
Excel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
Excel Entertainment is an Indian film studio based in Mumbai. It was created by Farhan Akhtar, and Ritesh Sidhwani in 1999. The two have gone on to create several films under Excel's banner.-Farhan Akhtar:...
. The film features an ensemble cast
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
including Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai for which Roshan earned his Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut...
as Arjun, Abhay Deol
Abhay Deol
Abhay Deol is an Indian actor from Mumbai, India. He is an Indian film actor and producer whose family has a long history in the Hindi film industry. Deol has appeared in films such as Dev.D and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. He is the nephew of Bollywood actor Dharmendra, and the cousin of Sunny Deol and...
as Kabir and Farhan Akhtar as Imraan. It also stars Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif is a British Indian actress and former model who appears in Indian films, mainly in the Hindi-language film industry. She has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam films. She was voted the sexiest Asian woman in the world by Eastern Eye in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011...
as Laila, Kalki Koechlin
Kalki Koechlin
Kalki Koechlin is an Indian film actress of French descent who debuted in Anurag Kashyap's critically acclaimed 2009 Hindi film Dev.D...
as Natasha, and Ariadna Cabrol
Ariadna Cabrol
Ariadna Cabrol is a Spanish actress and model who has worked in Spanish, Serbian and Hindi films.-Personal life:Ariadna was born in Matadepera in Barcelona on 23 August 1982...
as Nuria along with Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...
as Imraan's father. Initially expected to hit theatres on 27 May 2011, the release of the film was pushed back to 24 June, and once again to 15 July due to technical glitches in post-production. Made on a budget of 55 crore, the film was shot at various locations including Spain, London, India and Morocco.
The story follows three friends - Arjun, Imraan and Kabir who have been inseparable since their childhood. They set off to Spain on a bachelor trip and meet Laila, who falls in love with Arjun and helps him overcome his problem of Workaholism
Workaholic
A workaholic is a person who is addicted to work.The term generally implies that the person enjoys their work; it can also imply that they simply feel compelled to do it...
. In the meantime, a lot of misunderstanding enters between Kabir and his fiancée. After solving the problem, the three friends go to various places in the country, with each one choosing a sport to finish and what happens afterwards forms the rest of the story.
The music and score is composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy with lyrics by Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter from India. Some of his most successful work was done in the late 1970s and 1980s with Salim Khan as half of the script-writing duo credited as Salim-Javed...
. The film had a wide release in 1800 screens and was a commercial success, along with being well received from critics.
Plot
The film opens with Kabir (Abhay DeolAbhay Deol
Abhay Deol is an Indian actor from Mumbai, India. He is an Indian film actor and producer whose family has a long history in the Hindi film industry. Deol has appeared in films such as Dev.D and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. He is the nephew of Bollywood actor Dharmendra, and the cousin of Sunny Deol and...
) proposing to Natasha (Kalki Koechlin
Kalki Koechlin
Kalki Koechlin is an Indian film actress of French descent who debuted in Anurag Kashyap's critically acclaimed 2009 Hindi film Dev.D...
). The families meet at their engagement party where Natasha learns that Kabir is planning a three-week-long bachelor road trip to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
with his high school friends Imraan (Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar is an Indian filmmaker, script writer, actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer in Hindi cinema and a television host.His directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi...
) and Arjun(Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai for which Roshan earned his Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut...
). Kabir explains that the three men have a long-standing pact, and that during the road trip, each one would pick an adventure sport for the trio to try together. However, Arjun, a workaholic obsessed with making money, is reluctant to take part in the trip. It is revealed that Arjun’s ex-girlfriend had left him due to his obsession with work. Imraan has an additional personal agenda on the trip – to find his biological father Salman Habib (Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...
), an artist in Spain.
The trio finally set off to Spain, where they plan to visit the Costa Brava
Costa Brava
The Costa Brava is a coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, Spain, in the comarques of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and Selva, in the province of Girona. Costa is the Catalan and Spanish word for 'coast', and Brava means 'rugged' or 'wild'...
, Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
and Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
. They meet Laila (Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif is a British Indian actress and former model who appears in Indian films, mainly in the Hindi-language film industry. She has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam films. She was voted the sexiest Asian woman in the world by Eastern Eye in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011...
), a British-Indian woman, and Imraan flirts with her, which makes Arjun jealous. Kabir reveals that he has chosen deep sea diving as their first adventure sport, and they find out that Laila is their diving instructor. Arjun, who can't swim and is mortally afraid of water, is helped by Laila to overcome his fears. He soon begins to fall in love with her. They attend Buñol
Buñol
Buñol is a town and municipality in the province of Valencia, Spain. The municipality has an area of some 112 km², and is situated approximately 38 km west of the provincial and autonomous community capital city, Valencia...
the La Tomatina festival with Laila, where they meet Nuria (Ariadna Cabrol
Ariadna Cabrol
Ariadna Cabrol is a Spanish actress and model who has worked in Spanish, Serbian and Hindi films.-Personal life:Ariadna was born in Matadepera in Barcelona on 23 August 1982...
), who falls for Imraan. Meanwhile, Natasha, who has grown suspicious of Kabir's involvement with Laila, surprises Kabir by crashing his bachelor party trip. Imraan spends time with Nuria and Arjun with Laila. After the boys leave, Laila realizes she has fallen in love with Arjun and chases them until she catches up. She and Arjun express their feelings for each other with a passionate kiss.
Arjun, Imraan and Kabir visit Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
for sky diving, as per Arjun's choice. Now it is Imraan who has to overcome his fear of heights and learn to let go of his fear. After their skydiving adventures, the three men go to a bar. There, they get into a fight with a stranger on whom they tried to pull a prank, and end up in jail. Salman, Imraan's father, bails them out, and takes them to his home. In his conversation with Imraan, Salman reveals that he never wanted a settled life and never wanted kids, as opposed to Imraan's mother. Kabir, meanwhile, admits to Arjun and Imraan that he is not ready for marriage, but is reluctant to call off the wedding as it might break Natasha's heart.
The trio set on their final adventure, by far the most dangerous one: taking part in the bull run at Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
. Imraan suggests they create a new pact—to keep their promises if they return alive. Imraan vows to get his poetry published, Arjun vows to visit Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
with Laila, and Kabir vows to tell Natasha that he is not ready for the marriage yet. At the end, the friends have a renewed sense of their relationships with each other, with others they know, and most importantly, with themselves.
As the credits roll, Imraan, Kabir, Nuria and Natasha are shown to be attending the wedding of Arjun and Laila in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, where it is revealed that Kabir and Natasha didn't get married.
Cast
- Hrithik RoshanHrithik RoshanHrithik Roshan is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai for which Roshan earned his Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut...
as Arjun, a financial trader who works at a firm in London. Arjun grew up without a father and his entire focus is to ensure his financial success. Zoya Akhtar cast Hrithik for the role, since he is admittedly her favorite actor. - Abhay DeolAbhay DeolAbhay Deol is an Indian actor from Mumbai, India. He is an Indian film actor and producer whose family has a long history in the Hindi film industry. Deol has appeared in films such as Dev.D and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. He is the nephew of Bollywood actor Dharmendra, and the cousin of Sunny Deol and...
as Kabir, a wealthy young man who works at his father's construction company, located in MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. Kabir is engaged to Natasha. Since Zoya had already finalized Hrithik and Farhan for the roles of Arjun and Imraan, she needed someone "who could not just fit in with them visually but also bring something new to the table." She sought Abhay for the role, as she was friends with him, and had worked with him before in Reema KagtiReema KagtiReema Kagti is an Indian film director. She made her debut as director with critically acclaimed Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.-Personal life:Reema did her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Sophia College, Mumbai. She also pursued a post graduates diploma in Social Communications Media at...
's Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. is a Bollywood movie, released on 23 February 2007. It is produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani through Excel Entertainment and has marked the debut of Reema Kagti as a director. The movie has six different part in it...
- Farhan AkhtarFarhan AkhtarFarhan Akhtar is an Indian filmmaker, script writer, actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer in Hindi cinema and a television host.His directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi...
as Imraan, a copy writer, who works for an advertising firm in DelhiDelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, loves poetry and is a closet poet. Imraan has never met Salman, his biological father, before. Since Farhan had worked with Zoya in her debut film Luck By ChanceLuck by ChanceLuck By Chance is a 2009 Indian drama film written and directed by Zoya Akhtar. Produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, the film stars Farhan Akhtar and Konkana Sen Sharma in the lead roles...
, and was also the dialogue writer of the film, Zoya felt he would know what she exactly wanted from the film, and cast him as Imraan. - Katrina KaifKatrina KaifKatrina Kaif is a British Indian actress and former model who appears in Indian films, mainly in the Hindi-language film industry. She has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam films. She was voted the sexiest Asian woman in the world by Eastern Eye in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011...
as Laila, a British IndianBritish IndianThe term British Indian refers to citizens of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in India. This includes people born in the UK who are of Indian descent, and Indian-born people who have migrated to the UK...
fashion student from London, who works as a diving instructor in Spain during her vacations. After auditioning hundreds of NRI girls and girls from USA and London, Zoya casted Katrina KaifKatrina KaifKatrina Kaif is a British Indian actress and former model who appears in Indian films, mainly in the Hindi-language film industry. She has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam films. She was voted the sexiest Asian woman in the world by Eastern Eye in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011...
opposite Hrithik Roshan in the movie, as she needed a half Indian and half Caucasian girl to play the role of Laila. - Kalki KoechlinKalki KoechlinKalki Koechlin is an Indian film actress of French descent who debuted in Anurag Kashyap's critically acclaimed 2009 Hindi film Dev.D...
as Natasha, an interior designer who is born in a rich family. She is engaged to Kabir. Zoya had wanted to work with Kalki since seeing her in Dev DDev DDev.D is a 2009 Indian romance film released on 6 February 2009. Written and directed by Anurag Kashyap, the film is a modern day take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's classic Bengali novel Devdas., previously adapted for the screen by P.C. Barua and Bimal Roy and more recently by Sanjay Leela...
and That Girl in Yellow BootsThat Girl in Yellow BootsThat Girl in Yellow Boots is a 2011 Indian thriller film by director Anurag Kashyap, starring Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah. The film was first screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2010, followed by Venice Film Festival after it played in several festivals...
. Zoya felt that she fitted the bill for the character of Natasha, since she had "the sense of comedy, but not over the top." - Naseeruddin ShahNaseeruddin ShahNaseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...
as Salman Habib, an artist in Spain, who is the biological father of Imraan. He left Imraan and his mother at young age, since he was never ready to have a child, and wanted to travel around the world without any baggage. - Ariadna CabrolAriadna CabrolAriadna Cabrol is a Spanish actress and model who has worked in Spanish, Serbian and Hindi films.-Personal life:Ariadna was born in Matadepera in Barcelona on 23 August 1982...
as Nuria, a friend of Laila. Zoya happened to meet Ariadna through a casting director and cast her for the role of Nuria, since she liked her work in the 2009 Spanish film Eloise. - Deepti NavalDeepti NavalDeepti Naval is an acclaimed Indian actress. She has acted in over 75 Hindi films, and most often worked in arthouse and independent films, known as parallel cinema in India.-Early life:Born in Amritsar, Punjab, India...
as Rahila, Imraan's mother, who raised Imraan with Faizal, the man who agreed to marry a pregnant Rahila when she was abandoned by Salman Habib, Imraan's biological father. - Suhel Seth as Natasha's father, a billionaire businessman, who owns an asset of over 1000 crores in hotel business.
Development
The scripting of the film, tentatively titled as Running with the bulls, was completed in three months, by November, 2009. Zoya and KagtiReema Kagti
Reema Kagti is an Indian film director. She made her debut as director with critically acclaimed Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.-Personal life:Reema did her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Sophia College, Mumbai. She also pursued a post graduates diploma in Social Communications Media at...
incorporated real life observations, and had specially written the character of Imraan for her brother Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar is an Indian filmmaker, script writer, actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer in Hindi cinema and a television host.His directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi...
who also wrote the dialogues for the film and decided to have Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter from India. Some of his most successful work was done in the late 1970s and 1980s with Salim Khan as half of the script-writing duo credited as Salim-Javed...
's poetry as voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
for him as they felt the poetry adds depth to the character, who is also a closet poet, and to lend voice to their feelings. The first choice for the location for principal filming was Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, but was later changed to Spain since the climax features running with the bulls, and Zoya wanted a country that blended history, culture and sports. The release date of the film was rescheduled trice since the editor of the movie, Chandan Arora
Chandan Arora
Chandan Arora is an Indian film editor and director in Bollywood, most known for his films, Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh and recent release, Striker...
fell ill and they had to start editing from scratch.
Casting and filming
Farhan AkhtarFarhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar is an Indian filmmaker, script writer, actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer in Hindi cinema and a television host.His directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi...
, who is also the brother of Zoya and one the lead actors of her debut film Luck By Chance
Luck by Chance
Luck By Chance is a 2009 Indian drama film written and directed by Zoya Akhtar. Produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, the film stars Farhan Akhtar and Konkana Sen Sharma in the lead roles...
, was the first actor to be cast in the film, playing one of the three main characters in the movie. Initially, Imran Khan
Imran Khan (actor)
Imran Khan is an Indian American film actor. He is the nephew of actor Aamir Khan and producer-director Mansoor Khan.Khan rose to stardom for his debut role in the 2008 blockbuster film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. The film won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut...
and Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood movies.Making his acting debut in the 2007 film Saawariya, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut, Kapoor went on to earn critical praise for his performance in Wake Up Sid...
were rumored to play the other two leads, but they declined because they wished to star together in their own production. Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai for which Roshan earned his Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut...
and Abhay Deol
Abhay Deol
Abhay Deol is an Indian actor from Mumbai, India. He is an Indian film actor and producer whose family has a long history in the Hindi film industry. Deol has appeared in films such as Dev.D and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. He is the nephew of Bollywood actor Dharmendra, and the cousin of Sunny Deol and...
were confirmed to play the two leads, as they liked the script. The full cast of the film was confirmed by April 2010.
The principal shooting of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara which began in June 2010, took place in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
, Buñol
Buñol
Buñol is a town and municipality in the province of Valencia, Spain. The municipality has an area of some 112 km², and is situated approximately 38 km west of the provincial and autonomous community capital city, Valencia...
, Andalucia in Spain, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in India. Cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
Carlos Catalan, who worked with Zoya in Luck By Chance
Luck by Chance
Luck By Chance is a 2009 Indian drama film written and directed by Zoya Akhtar. Produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, the film stars Farhan Akhtar and Konkana Sen Sharma in the lead roles...
, wanted all three actors to appear tanned as he "didn't want everything glossed over" and wanted to keep it as realistic as possible.
The introduction scenes of Katrina was shot on a nude beach
Nude beach
A nude beach is a beach where users are legally at liberty to be nude. Sometimes the terms clothing-optional beach or free beach are used. Nude bathing is one of the most common forms of nudity in public. As beaches are usually on public lands, any member of the public is entitled to use the...
, where they had to specifically request people to stay out of the frame as the film would face objection from censor board in India. The La Tomatina festival of Buñol
Buñol
Buñol is a town and municipality in the province of Valencia, Spain. The municipality has an area of some 112 km², and is situated approximately 38 km west of the provincial and autonomous community capital city, Valencia...
was re-created for the shoot of the song "Ik Junoon
Ik Junoon (Paint it red)
"Ik Junoon " ; ) is a song by composer trio Shankar Ehsaan Loy for the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The song was performed by Clinton Cerejo, Vishal Dadlani and Alyssa Mendonsa while the lyrics was penned by Javed Akhtar....
". Almost sixteen tons on tomatoes worth 1 crore were used for the shoot and they were flown in from Portugal. The filming of the song "Señorita
Señorita (ZNMD song)
"Señorita" is a song from the 2011 film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The song was composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy and performed by Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Spanish singer María del Mar Fernández. The lyrics of the song were penned by Javed Akhtar...
", took place in Alájar
Alájar
Alájar is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 771 inhabitants. The song "Senorita" of the Bollywood movie named "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" was shot in this town....
, a town located in the province of Huelva
Huelva
Huelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 149,410 inhabitants. The...
. The crew warned the locals of the loud sound of the song, as the shooting was about to take place at night. In the third day of shooting, the locals came dressed up in costumes, and the mayor of Alájar herself joined them for the shoot. The climax of the film was shot at Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
, which features the Encierro
Encierro
The Running of the Bulls is a practice that involves running in front of a small group of bulls that have been let loose, on a course of a sectioned-off subset of a town's streets...
. Final schedules were filmed at Vashi
Vashi
Vashi is an upmarket residential as well as commercial township in the city of Navi Mumbai. It is a premier city in Navi Mumbai and was one of the first "nodes" developed by CIDCO.-Populace:...
and Alibag
Alibag
Alibag or Alibaug or Alibagh is a coastal town and a municipal council in Raigad District in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. It is also the headquarters of the Raigad district. The town and its surrounding villages are the historic hinterland of Bene Israeli Jews...
in Mumbai on December 2010.
Music and soundtrack
Composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-LoyShankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy are an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. Record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists, they have composed music for over fifty soundtrack across four languages...
composed the soundtrack album for the film, their third collaboration with Akhtar after Rock On!!
Rock On!! (2008 film)
Rock On !! is a 2008 Bollywood rock musical film written and directed by Abhishek Kapoor, produced by Farhan Akhtar, and with music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy...
, while the lyrics are penned by Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter from India. Some of his most successful work was done in the late 1970s and 1980s with Salim Khan as half of the script-writing duo credited as Salim-Javed...
. For the vocals of the flamenco song "Señorita
Señorita (ZNMD song)
"Señorita" is a song from the 2011 film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The song was composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy and performed by Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Spanish singer María del Mar Fernández. The lyrics of the song were penned by Javed Akhtar...
", the trio roped in Maria del Mar Fernández
Maria del Mar Fernández
Maria del Mar Fernández is a Spanish flamenco singer best known for her rendition of the song "Señorita" from the 2011 hindi film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.-Career:...
, a Spanish flamenco singer, who made her film singing debut with the film. The song also marked the singing debut of Abhay Deol
Abhay Deol
Abhay Deol is an Indian actor from Mumbai, India. He is an Indian film actor and producer whose family has a long history in the Hindi film industry. Deol has appeared in films such as Dev.D and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. He is the nephew of Bollywood actor Dharmendra, and the cousin of Sunny Deol and...
, who rendered the song along with the other two leads, Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai for which Roshan earned his Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut...
and Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar is an Indian filmmaker, script writer, actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer in Hindi cinema and a television host.His directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi...
. They did not inform the actors about the recording, instead told them that it was a rehearsal to make them comfortable, and used a good part of it since it sounded good.
Promotions
The trailer of the film was released online on 15 May 2011. Excel EntertainmentExcel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
Excel Entertainment is an Indian film studio based in Mumbai. It was created by Farhan Akhtar, and Ritesh Sidhwani in 1999. The two have gone on to create several films under Excel's banner.-Farhan Akhtar:...
tied up with Aircel
Aircel
Aircel group is a mobile phone service provider in India. It offers both prepaid and postpaid GSM cellular phone coverage throughout India. The Aircel group is a joint venture between Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia and Sindya Securities & Investments Private Limited, whose current...
to make the promos of the film available on mobile and Internet. The trailer got over 55 million views within 48 hours of its release. Two more promos of the movie were released on 27 May, including promo of the song Ik Junoon, followed by the promo of another song Senorita
Señorita (ZNMD song)
"Señorita" is a song from the 2011 film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The song was composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy and performed by Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Spanish singer María del Mar Fernández. The lyrics of the song were penned by Javed Akhtar...
. The music launch and promotion event took place at Nirmal Lifestyle, Mulund, Mumbai. The next week saw the release of the promos of Khaabon Kay Parinday and Dil Dhadakne Do. Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani
Ritesh Sidhwani
Ritesh Sidhwani is a Bollywood film producer, who founded a film production house under the banner of Excel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd...
visited Facebook India
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
to promote the movie. A press conference was held on 1 July at Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
for promoting the movie. Two dialogue promos of the movie were released on 3 July. The cast and crew embarked on a road trip from Mumbai to Delhi on 7 July via Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
, Vadodra, Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
, Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
and Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
before culminating at Delhi with a concert at Gurgaon
Gurgaon
Gurgaon is the second largest city in the Indian state of Haryana. Gurgaon is the industrial and financial center of Haryana. It is located 30 km south of national capital New Delhi, about 10 kilometers from Dwarka Sub City and 268 km south of Chandigarh, the state capital...
. It is believed that British Auto manufacturer Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
which is now owned by Tata Motors
Tata Motors
Tata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. Part of the Tata Group, it was formerly known as TELCO...
sponsored the Land Rover Discovery
Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery was introduced into the United Kingdom in 1989. The company code-named the vehicle "Project Jay". The new model was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the more upmarket Range Rover, but with a lower price aimed at a larger market segment and intended to compete with Japanese...
driven by star cast during the road trip.
The movie also had tie ups with Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew is a citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in the 1940s by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman and was first marketed in Marion, VA, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee. A revised formula was...
, Gillette, ING Vysya Bank
ING Vysya Bank
ING Vysya Bank is a Bangalore-based retail and commercial bank, formed after the ING Group formally merged with Vysya Bank in 2002. This merger marks the first between an Indian bank and a foreign bank.-Early years:...
where branded promos were released.
Video game
The official game for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, based on the La Tomatina festival, was released by Jump Games on 19 July. The game is available for all leading mobile platforms.Release
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara released worldwide in 1800 screens on 15 July 2011. A special screening and party was held at the residence of Shahrukh KhanShahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
, on 16 July, the birthday of Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif is a British Indian actress and former model who appears in Indian films, mainly in the Hindi-language film industry. She has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam films. She was voted the sexiest Asian woman in the world by Eastern Eye in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011...
. The party was attended by several, including Karan Johar
Karan Johar
Karan Johar is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and Television host. He is the son of Hiroo Johar and Yash Johar. He is one of the most successful filmmakers in Bollywood. He is most known for directing and producing some of Bollywood's highest grossing films in India and the...
, Karishma Kapoor, Arjun Rampal
Arjun Rampal
Arjun Rampal , born 26 November 1972, is an award-winning Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films, as well as a fashion model.- Film career :...
, Malaika Arora, Ayan Mukerji, Amrita Arora
Amrita Arora
-Personal life and education:Arora was born in Chembur Mumbai to a Malayali mother, Joyce Polycarp, and a Punjabi father, Anil Arora. Her sister is Malaika Arora Khan....
, and Abhishek Kapoor
Abhishek Kapoor
Abhishek Kapoor is an Indian film actor, writer and director.He started his career as an actor in Uff!Yeh Mohabbat in 1996, opposite Twinkle Khanna, directed by Vipin Handa, and after two more films, he made his directorial début with Aryan in 2006, which despite getting him critical acclaim for...
, besides the film's cast and crew themselves. Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...
, however, criticized the event, as it was held three days post the Mumbai blasts.
Box-office performance
In India, the film released along with Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 epic fantasy film directed by David Yates and the second of two films based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David...
and opened well in the multiplexes, as the occupancy ranged from 70 to 100 percent, despite receiving average opening in the single screens except in the metro cities. The film grossed in its opening three-day weekend, including during its first day, and a net total of by the end of third day. In ten days of worldwide release, it grossed . In 17 days, it grossed over in India. With no significant competition other than Singham, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara remained #2 at the box office for 4 weeks after its release. It was one of the highest grossing Bollywood films of 2011 both in India and internationally. The film was declared a super-hit in both India and Overseas territories.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara grossed overseas in three days, making it the biggest opening for an Indian film in 2011 at the time. The film featured in UK and U.S. top twenty lists. Its three highest-grossing markets after India were, U.S. ($2 million), UK ($0.92 million), Australia ($0.34 million), as of 27 July 2011.
The film grossed worldwide, surpassing Hrithik
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai for which Roshan earned his Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut...
's Dhoom 2
Dhoom 2
Dhoom 2: Back In Action is a 2006 Bollywood action film directed by Sanjay Gadhvi and produced by Aditya Chopra and Yash Chopra at an estimated budget of Rs 350 million. It is the second film in the Dhoom series. Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra star in the film as buddy cops Jai Dixit and Ali,...
in the worldwide gross, becoming the ninth highest worldwide grosser of all time for a Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film.
Critical reception
The film mostly garnered positive reviews from critics. Pratim D. Gupta of The TelegraphThe Telegraph (Kolkata)
The Telegraph is an Indian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and the newspaper vies with the Times of India for the position of having the widest widest circulation of any newspaper in Eastern India.According to the Audit...
called Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara "a beautifully scripted journey of catharsis" and praised director Zoya Akhtar for being "fearless in the way she shoots". In his review for Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
, Mayank Shekhar praised the film as "a game-changer for Hindi films since Dil Chahta Hai
Dil Chahta Hai
Dil Chahta Hai is a 2001 Indian film starring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni, and Dimple Kapadia...
", and wrote "What you take home are memorable, amusing moments of three truly adventurous amigos we've all grown up with. And will continue to." Shivesh Kumar of IndiaWeekly awarded the movie 4 out of 5 stars. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
gave the film three and a half stars, calling it a film for mature and cinema-literate audience. Nikhat Kazmi
Nikhat Kazmi
Nikhat Kazmi is a senior correspondent and well-known film critic from India, who has been writing for The Times of India, since 1987.-Books:* If Shakespeare was a gun: a play. Writers Workshop, 1984....
of The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
gave the movie three and a half stars and lauded the lead performances of the film, "If Abhay is the anchor of the group, Farhan's funster role is full of beans and Hrithik's metamorphosis from uptight, money-minded stock broker to carefree vagabond is a class act."
S Chatterjee of NDTV
NDTV
NDTV is an Indian commercial broadcasting television network founded in 1988. It was founded by Prannoy Roy, an eminent journalist and current chairman and director of NDTV Group. NDTV currently has more than 1,000 employees producing news from over twenty locations in India...
, whilst believed the philosophy the film is quite old, praised Zoya Akhtar's direction stating "Zoya Akhtar, by investing the tale with a delightful lightness of touch and dollops of gentle wit, brings a degree of freshness to bear upon the plot." NDTV later awarded the cast the NDTV Indian of the Year
NDTV Indian of the Year
-Winners:-7th NDTV Indian of the Year:The 7th NDTV Indian of the Year was held at the Taj Palace Hotel on October 18, 2011. The winners were:* Indian of the Year – Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal* India's Heroes – India national cricket team...
's "NDTV Entertainer of the Year" award. Shaikh Ayaz of Rediff feels Zoya Akhtar has put together a familiar plot but the film's fresh energy is entertaining. He writes, "Akhtar's invigorating characters pump in fresh energy into a film that could have been strictly mediocre". Kaveree Bamzai of India Today
India Today
India Today is an Indian weekly news magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1975 based in Mumbai. India Today is also the name of its sister-publication in Hindi...
, too was full of praise for Akhtar's direction and said "By the time I finished watching Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara I was convinced that no one can make a romance as beautifully as a woman."
Film critic Subhash K Jha felt that Akhtar managed to "suck the viewers into the beauty of the moment, not giving us any reason to believe that life's most precious truths are swathed in squalour." Blessy Chettiar of DNA India, noted the music of the film and Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar is an Indian filmmaker, script writer, actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer in Hindi cinema and a television host.His directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi...
's acting as highlights of the film. "For all this, the storywriters use heavy doses of symbolism. Deep-sea diving at Costa Brava, sky-diving in Sevilla and the San Fermin bull run in Pamplona, not to forget the Tomatina festival in Bunyol, where Arjun finally lets go. Fears are drowned, let open in the sky and finally at the mercy of raging bulls", he writes. Glamsham awarded the film four out of five stars, calling it "an adventure ride, full of life." Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand is an Indian film critic and entertainment reporter for CNN-IBN. Masand started his career as an entertainment correspondent at the young age of 16...
of CNN-IBN stated, "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara takes the light-hearted tone of a fun, all-boys road trip through Spain to give you a deep and heartfelt message on why we should live life by seizing the moment and following our hearts". He also praised the performance of the cast, highlighting it as one of the main positives of the film, while pointing out that the film's length "sucks some fun of out of the ride". Raja Sen of Rediff holds that the film "tried too hard to be cool."
Ryan Gilbey of Guardian
Guardian.co.uk
guardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...
was broadly positive about the film, "It's still playing to full houses, and you can see why. Slick it may be. But tourist board employees representing the various Spanish cities flattered in the movie are not the only ones who will come out grinning.", though he found the movie "stubbornly un-macho" for a buddy film. The National
The National (newspaper)
The National Sports Daily, or The National, was a sports newspaper in the United States which debuted January 31, 1990 and folded on June 13, 1991...
reviewer Kaleem Aftab, in his four star review, noted "Throwing together road trip, romcom and buddy-buddy action in a single picture may sound like an ill-conceived masala mash-up, but like any good dish, the ingredients are blended together with affection to create one of the best feel-good movies of the year."
Controversy
After the release of the film, the organization PETAPeta
Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...
objected the bull run scene in the film and sought support from fans to ban the film in their Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page. Speaking on the issue, the chief functionary of PETA, Poorva Joshipura said: "We will now be contacting the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Central Board of Film Certification to take action." The film's producer Ritesh Sidhwani
Ritesh Sidhwani
Ritesh Sidhwani is a Bollywood film producer, who founded a film production house under the banner of Excel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd...
, retorted by saying: "We had submitted all the papers to the Animal Welfare Board India that stated that none of the animals were injured or hurt in any way and only then, the censor board cleared the movie. We are only showing the culture of Spain."
Home media
The DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of the film was released on September 26, 2011. It is available in Dolby Digital 5.1
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
and Stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
formats with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
subtitles.