Zara Si Zindagi

• Film Director: K Balchander
• Year: 1982
• Main Cast: Kamal Haasan, Anita Raj, Dr Shreeram Lagoo
• Music Director: Laxmikant Pyarelal

Movie Synopsis

"Zara Si Zindagi" is a Hindi language film starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role of the protagonist. The movie is directed by Kamal Haasan's mentor K. Balachander. This movie is a remake of the Tamil hit Varumayin Niram Sivappu, also directed by K. Balachander with Kamal Haasan and Sridevi in the lead roles. Kamal Haasan reprises his role as Raja, a graduate looking for work in the capital, sharing a small home with two other unemployed youth played by Karan Razdan and Arjun Chakraborty. Raja falls in love with a struggling actress , whose life is likewise wretched having to take care of an old and ailing grandmother and a parasite father. "Zara Si Zindagi" gives a fairly unrelenting grim view of urban unemployment, with the usual dose of Balachander moralizing. This is a must-watch movie, as you would really pity Kamal Haasan's character "Raja", the unemployed youth who sticks to his principles by not choosing to go on the wrong path. The movie has a fantastic story narration and some excellent scenes that is unfortunately not understood by a lot of Hindi, masala movie audiences. Sridevi in the Tamil version was quite extraordinary. Kamal Haasan as usual is at his impressive best. Anita Raj as a struggling actress has done a commendable job. In the 70's and 80's when good acting had stiff competition, Kamal was ahead of his times and to say anybody could have equalled him maybe hypothetical.