Dear Zindagi – Scene Analysis

By Aashvi on January 1, 2021

The final therapy session between Kaira and Jug, where Kaira confesses her feelings for him, remains my favourite one from plenty others that I absolutely love from the unconventional Dear Zindagi.

For a strong-headed yet weak-hearted Kaira, therapy was a life altering experience, because it helped her come to terms with her fears, face them boldly and overcome them. Actually putting an end to therapy, the one hour of every week that brought her the most solace, was an overwhelmingly difficult step for her. What was more difficult was to accept that she’d fallen for her therapist – the only man in her life who didn’t break her heart, infact mended it in ways she couldn’t even imagine. As she once again hesitates to express how she feels, and as always when Jug encourages her to do so, we see a reflection of the progress she made over time; how she finally overcame her lifelong fear of acknowledging her true feelings, instead of running from them.

Kaira was strong, especially when in her heart she knew that Jug didn’t feel the same way about her. As he patiently listened to her one last time, she talked through her pain, the pain of realizing that this was indeed going to be their last time together. Kaira was evidently questioning her own feelings: how come she fell for her therapist? But then again, had anyone else in life understood her the way he did? Did anyone feel as comforting as he did? Did anyone make her love her life like he did?

Jug’s rejection of her proposal broke Kaira’s heart, but this time she didn’t close off her heart altogether, like in the past. This moment brought out the essence of her entire journey, and how she’d come such a long way, bringing out the essence of the entire film. Her eyes welled up at their fate, but despite it all, her heart felt protected and at ease; just like it always did in Jug’s presence.

As the timer for their final session finally came to a rest, a distraught yet brave Kaira drew Jug into a warm, thankful embrace that perfectly signified her ecstasy. It showed that even though she knew he would no longer be in her life, she was immensely grateful for all the time they’d cherished together. It may be the end of their time together, but she was going to carry all the stories, lessons and memories with her for a lifetime.

As Kaira left, feeling a myriad of emotions with tears of both joy and sorrow in her eyes, on Jug’s side of the tale, where his rocking chair, which he said “only creaks when you really like someone”, creaks loudly as he sits in it, as he watches Kaira leave. We realize that he too had fallen for Kaira, even though he never said it out loud, and saying goodbye to her was a heavy hearted and really difficult thing for him to do, more than she would ever know.

That scene taught us so much, that sometimes for our own good, some things in life are better left unsaid. The past is tempting, and sticking to a habit that is familiar is always an easy option. However, life is all about moving forward, and in Jug’s wise words, genius is knowing when to stop.

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