Ali Zafar’s ‘Rumi’ connection

 Ali Zafar with Dear Zindagi crew including director Gauri Shinde and co-stars Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt and Kunal Kapoor.

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Pakistan’s favourite ‘Rockstar Romeo’ ends the year on a high with Dear Zindagi.

Thanks to the Pakistan-India conflict that flared up earlier this year, Pakistanis are being deprived of watching their beloved stars dazzle their magic and charm alongside Bollywood actors on the big screen. Since Bollywood films are not being screened at cinemas, Pakistanis unfortunately have to go back to basics and illegally download torrents. One shouldn’t even try to review the film in such a situation because watching a pirated version on a 13 inch computer screen cannot do a film any justice at all. But then what is an entertainment aficionado to do in times like these?

We begrudgingly managed to watch the hotly anticipated Dear Zindagi in this manner. Through blurry images and unclear acoustics one could make out the brilliant performance Alia Bhatt was delivering and the cool charisma that Shah Rukh Khan – Jehangir Khan in the film – brought to screen. We could also see that Kunal Kapoor looked very hot as the fiery Raghuvendra. And of course, the emotional dilemma of being a disoriented young girl with commitment issues stemming from a dysfunctional childhood did come across effectively. What planted a big, warm smile however, was Ali Zafar.

Pakistan’s favourite ‘Rockstar Romeo’ is having a solid year. From being the man of the hour at the Lux Syle Awards 2016 where he delivered the most powerful LSA opening ever to winning an LSA in the category of Song of the Year for ‘Rockstar Romeo’,  Ali Zee has been maintaining his repertoire of dynamic live performances. He later took the stage again at the Hum Style Awards too alongside a phenomenal Sohai  Ali Abro. More importantly, Ali Zee also announced that he will be making his Pakistani film debut soon and is teaming up with director Ahsan Rahim with whom Zafar has delivered several memorable music videos over the years. And finally, he appeared in Dear Zindagi, a role that was rumoured to be chopped up during the escalation of Indo-Pak tensions, but after watching the movie, we can confirm that his role is meaty enough to make us happy.

For those of us interested in knowing just how extensive Ali Zafar’s role in Dear Zindagi is, we round up all the things you need to know:

1. Ali makes an entry after the interval and is one of the three men in Kaira’s life. His entry would undoubtedly have let off whistles and cheers in the cinema, had the film released here.

2. He’s a natural because Rumi, his character, is as close to Ali Zafar as a character can get. He’s a Goan singer, a free and Bohemian spirit who sings by the beach to serenade the waves and the tourists gathered around rugged bonfires. He loves the attention he gets and is obsessive about his music while being a bit of a flirt and charmer. Yep, sounds just like Ali Zafar.

3. He DOES kiss Alia Bhatt in the film – that is what flirty, charming characters do, after all. But whether it’s a kiss ala Emran Hashmi or a peck of a pucker is what you’ll have to watch and find out.

4. He is part of the furniture in Kaira’s life, Kaira being Alia Bhatt. By part of the furniture we mean ‘chair’ to be exact. Kaira is advised, by her therapist, that it’s only natural to sit in several chairs before deciding which one suits her best. Chairs being metaphors for men, Rumi – therefore – is part of the furniture.

5. We could have sworn that Ali Zafar had sung ‘Tu Hi Hai’ himself but he hasn’t. It’s Arijit Singh, on playback, for some odd reason. Ali could have done it himself.

So, will you be downloading a pirated version or will you wait for the DVD? Because Indian films will not be returning to cinema screens in Pakistan anytime soon, it seems.