Yeh Saali Zindagi Review

Yeh Saali Zindagi

Reviewed by staff reviewer

Let me get this straight first. I absolutely love Chitrangada Singh and the fact that she left the film industry right after something like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi left me wondering what went wrong. But then one fine morning while on a flight I got to see her in Onir's Sorry Bhai and actually believed she did the right thing by leaving. But now after joining hands with Sudhir Mishra and coming out with something as twisted as Yeh Saali Zindagi, I am left to wonder again, "Why did she leave again?"

I don’t know whether it’s about me not trying hard enough for details or the film makers not revealing enough, but I had little idea about Yeh Saali Zindagi, except for the fact that it managed to outdo Mallika Sherawat’s record number of onscreen kisses (17 for Khwahish). Well, in 2011, that didn’t make it a big deal for me. I mean I do watch enough English movies and TV shows to be immune to any passionate or slobbering kisses. What intrigued me was the pairing of Irrfan Khan and Chitrangada Singh. While Khan has his own macho manliness without the good looks, Singh is hotness at a different level.

The entire movie is quite dark and probably shadily funny in the sense that majority of characters are rogue businessmen, criminals or corrupt politicians and policemen. But don’t think Ram Gopal Verma dark and shady- Mishra manages to make a dark plot stylish as well. It’s a Delhi based movie and the last one I saw (No One Killed Jessica) left my mother struggling to believe curse words had become “normal”. Yeh Saali Zindagi has its own liberal share of curse words as well. With the kind of characters in the movie, it probably would have looked weird if they talked in Gulzar Hindi in the first place.

Calling Chitrangada Singh only the love interest in the film would probably be wrong, but you watch and you decide. With the amount of plots, sub plots and maybe sub sub plots as well, you tend to lose track once in a while but Mishra’s films are seldom no-brainers and you need to be alert for Yeh Saali Zindagi as well. I wish the movie was either a little more tightly edited or the characters defined more. Still would like to know what Irrfan Khan’s business was in Yeh Saali Zindagi. 

Rating: 2.5/5