'Times Of India' stated that the film holds up a mirror to life, with nuanced performance by Alia and sober avatar donned by Shah Rukh Khan, whereas 'Gulf News' felt the movie is heartwarming, sensitive and joyously entertaining.
Dear Zindagi, has completed a successful week at the box office. The film has done exceptionally well across the globe and the response in India has been exceptional and unprecedented in such times. The film is 'The New York Times' 'Critics Pick and they have described it as an insightful movie and a resounding victory for Ms. Shinde.
The industry finds the success of the film laudable it clearly indicates that a film with strong content will attract viewers. Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Pictures added, "Dear Zindagi will be remembered not just as a very successful and ambitious film, but also as the film that helped Indian movie industry deal with the demonetisation impact and finish, an otherwise anxious November."
The film's run at the box-office continues to be steady and is predicted to grow stronger in the coming weekend. Talking about the positive response for the film, Ashish Saksena, COO-Cinemas, BookMyShow, said "Dear Zindagi, despite its limited release, has been extremely successful and continues to perform strongly due to positive word of mouth surrounding the film. BookMyShow has so far contributed about 40% to the film's overall India collection. The film actually helped people get back into the theatres after demonetisation, which is reflective in its box office success.`
Dear Zindagi is an example of a nearly perfect model of collaboration between three companies Red Chillies Entertainment, Dharma Productions and Hope Productions, with a low cost of production and focused marketing and distribiution strategy adopted for genre and appeal of the film. Adding more to this noted trade analyst Komal Nahta says "Dear Zindagi is a shining example of how new-age cinema can also be hardcore commercial. Thanks to intelligent budgeting, the profit will be huge, over Rs. 50 crores in the film which cost Rs. 22 crore to make. The thoughtful release strategy has also gone a long way in optimising theatrical revenues. And all this in spite of the cash crunch in people's hands after demonetisation of high-denomination currency notes!".