Four years after her much-appreciated debut with English Vinglish, filmmaker Gauri Shinde is back with another female protagonist-centred story that aims to unsettle cliches in our judgemental society - Dear Zindagi. Starring Alia Bhatt as the lead and Shah Rukh Khan as her psychiatrist, Dear Zindagi is about Kaira (Alia) - an aspiring cinematographer who does small ads and projects but wants to shoot an entire feature film.

Nevertheless, the impeccable performance of Alia Bhatt (her best till date) and the irresistible charm of Shah Rukh Khan as an actor and not as a superstar plus the slice of life cache that cuts its path to the urban heart strings manages to stir the soul of the multiplex audience, although appeal may not be as deep or long-lasting as Gauri Shinde's magical debut ENGLISH VINGLISH.

Years back, Gauri Shinde made her directorial debut with English Vinglish, a film that marked the comeback of Sridevi and won our hearts with its emotional connect. After dealing the issues and emotions of a housewife and a mother, this time, Gauri lets us explore the psyche of a 20-something urbane girl in Dear Zindagi.

Dear Zindagi is clearly straining at the formula-ridden Bollywood straitjacket to give us a refreshing take on love and family, and for the most part it sticks to its guns. In the end, it does succumb to the pressure to bow to perceived public demand with passing mentions of what we have come to consider inevitable in every Hindi film, but the ride up to that point is so rewarding so often that it is tempting to look past those needless moments.

Alia Bhatt is the champion of playing broken girls. She did it with Highway and Udta Punjab, she absolutely hits the nail on the head with Dear Zindagi. This film is all about Alia's character Kiara's tryst with emotional therapy. She goes from being temperamental to all sorted out over a span of two-odd hours and her journey serves up some phenomenal moments.

Is it possible for someone to get over a bitter past? A pain of a heartbreak or constant feeling of loneliness, negativity around you can ruin your future. This is the central plot of director Gauri Shinde's latest outing Dear Zindagi. Kaira (Alia Bhatt), a cinematographer by profession is seeking an opportunity to shoot a full length feature film.

DEAR ZINDAGI is a slice of life film, which gives an introspective insight about the various challenges that life offers to an individual and the way each one deals with these challenges. The film starts off with the 'on-the-sets' introduction of the extremely talented cinematographer Kaayra (Alia Bhatt), for whom work perfection towers above everything else in life.

Don't know whether the script's been through several redrafts, or there were too many second thoughts while shooting or editing this film. Throughout, it does seem like the filmmakers are holding back from saying something more. Or they just say it, and step back anyway, making it look ever so slightly clumsy, and patchy in parts then. But let's get into that later.

Kaira (Alia Bhatt) is a promising cinematographer, who is going through serious crisis in her life. She is good at her work, but not getting that big break. Even her relationships in life - be it her parents or the men in her life are screwed up thanks to her own apprehensions.

This is true for the format in which Hindi cinema is traditionally exhibited, as the interruption creates a narrative chasm that messes up both filmgoer and filmmaker, but it is doubly true for Dear Zindagi, which ingeniously uses a bad dream to slap recess upon us and allow us out of the theatre.

Kyra (Alia Bhatt) is shown to be a talented, young cinematographer who like many millennials has a messy love life and a yet to bloom career. Her screwed up relationships with her boyfriends and parents, eventually lead her into seeing a DD (Dimaag Ka Doctor). After an interesting encounter with Jehangir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan), Kyra decides to seek his help for her problems.

When we meet Kaira aka Koko (Alia Bhatt) first in Dear Zindagi, she is working. On a set. Looking at the world through a lens, constructing pretty images. We know, from her smile, and from the appreciative comments of her co-workers, that she is good at what she does.

Dear Zindagi, from the way it looked, felt, came across as, right from its title, was known to be a slice-of-life film ever since its first poster was released. What it is all about, therefore, is as good as anyone's guess. The magic lay in the execution. For most of its parts, Dear Zindagi has its moments, but there are those stray notes that don't necessarily fit properly in the scheme of things.

In a scene from the film, Alia who is heartbroken, bites into a green chilli. As her eyes cloud over, she looks at her best buddy Fatima (Ira Dubey) and says -- "the chilli is pungent.'' Tears, silly fears and frailties all part of the life process. So brave it we must. This kind of sums up the life lesson writer-director Gauri Shinde's second directorial film imparts.