Waah Zindagi movie review: Naveen Kasturia, Sanjay Mishra’s slice of life tale is buoyed by hope and ‘glocal’ dreams

Waah Zindagi which charts the heroic story of Ashok, premieres on Zee5.

Story: As the town’s unlucky black sheep, Ashok sets out to chart his destiny by launching his own version of tiles into the Indian market. He becomes an up-and-coming potential threat for his big-wig competitor, China. Will Ashok’s perseverance shine through, or will his spate of ill-luck shadow his intentions?

Review: Waah Zindagi, Zee5’s latest offering in terms of ‘quirky, modern’ storytelling, is more a commercial on going ‘glocal.’ The Dinesh S Yadav directorial begins in the heartlands of Rajasthan, where we’re told a certain young Ashok (Naveen Kasturia) is subject to daily ridicule and ostracization as the village ‘akali’ (extremely ill-fated or unlucky). 

As a young Ashok looks on helplessly at the sceptical faces of village elders around him, his grandfather Ramkaran (an inimitable Sanjay Mishra) vehemently defends him. In a fit of impassioned rage, he counters the village’s belief that Ashok’s birth caused a decline in the family’s wealth and prosperity. 

Ramkaran rubbishes such claims and proudly declares his property has hidden gold buried in its grounds, and what’s more, there’s even water underneath it. Thus begins the village’s public excavation of Ramkaran’s land, in desperate search of either the gold or water.

This bizarre flashback sequence is shown minutes after the present Ashok fails to commit suicide and instead follows a group of ascetics into the land of the unknown, as a mark of salvation, to redeem himself. 

The present Ashok’s nomadic journey, it’s hinted, comes after years of rejection and trying to remain positive in the face of acute prejudice and difficulty. 

Nestled in a superstitious Rajasthani village, Waah Zindagi’s universe is populated by men who demand women’s hands in exchange of challenges and women who are promptly ready to sacrifice themselves in several feet of sand, in an unfounded bid that the sacrifice will magically produce water under the surface.

Stepping away from the mythical aspects of the film, Waah Zindagi is packaged as an inspirational story of how Ashok breaks out of all odds and becomes an entrepreneur in his own right, by patenting an Indian version of wall tiles. His unique and traditional designs give sturdy competition to the international Chinese tile conglomerate threatening to hog the Indian market like an amoeba.

In a bid to achieve this success, Ashok even faces the wrath of Banna (Vijay Raaz) the city’s royal (bachelor) scion, an otherwise benevolent overlord with a nasty temper.

Waah Zindagi is well-intentioned and the fact is more than apparent from the get-go. Deeply embedded within core Indian value systems, certain sections of the film feels almost cathartic in its authenticity. Worthy of note is the opening sequence of the film where Ashok is seen living off the road, helping wayward priests and hermits as they make their final journey to salvation. His close encounter with death provides him with a world perspective like no other.

Yet, when the story comes into action mode, it slips up. Despite Yadav’s constant attempt at buoying the narrative with ample plot twists and dramatic doses of high-octane romance, the film fails to fully convince, or seep in through our cynical pores.

Storyline aside, the film has a pleasantly surprising soundtrack with fresh tunes and lilting numbers. Musician Parag Chhabra belts out soulful tracks that aid the plot ably in the right direction.

Kasturia, with yet another underdog story, is gradually becoming the face of Indian YA (young adult) content that speaks to millions. And unsurprisingly, Mishra provides the necessary heft to the plot as the trusting patriarch whose unfulfilled dreams make him lose his senses till he is reduced to etching mythological snippets on pieces of stones, almost like archaic tableaus of history. 

Yadav’s storytelling technique is also worthy of praise, especially in sections where he uses humour to propel the narrative. And thus, we have lame but inevitably hilarious sequences of “1/Cos C sexy nahi, Sec C hota hai.”

Verdict: Barring its Make in India-esque propaganda, Waah Zindagi is a light, funny watch that ought to be given at least one chance.

Stepping away from the mythical aspects of the film, Waah Zindagi is packaged as an inspirational story of how Ashok breaks all odds and becomes an entrepreneur in his own right, by patenting an Indian version of wall tiles. His unique and traditional designs give sturdy competition to the international Chinese tile conglomerate threatening to hog the Indian market like an amoeba.

In a bid to achieve this success, Ashok even faces the wrath of Banna (Vijay Raaz) the city’s royal (bachelor) scion, an otherwise benevolent overlord with a nasty temper.

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